Can't Get Enough of That Drama
by June Beatle
Summary: So Random! and Mackenzie Falls are off on a vacation. It's definitely not the vacation anyone was planning on, but Sonny is going to make the best of it. Even if she is stuck with Chad.
1. Vacation Plans

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is the second Sonny With a Chance story I've tried, and this is the first chapter story. The other one was a one-shot. So let's see if this works out, shall we?**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that looks familiar. Titles that aren't from the show are titles that I MADE UP. I didn't take them from anywhere. Thanks. =D**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter One – Vacation Plans**

_Sonny's POV_

"Sonny," my mom called. "Time to get up."

I blinked my eyes open and sat up, yawning. My mother disappeared down the hall, and I climbed out of bed, stumbling over to the door, which I shut. I flicked my light on and went over to my window. The sun was barely rising, but I always had to get up early. One of the few downsides of being an actress. Not that I minded. I loved going to work everyday and seeing all my friends. Even Tawni was tolerable, on most days.

The only thing I dreaded about going to work was Chad Dylan Cooper. He was so full of himself. It was annoying to have to be around him every day. Although there were a few times when Chad could be nice, it wasn't very often. I could count those times on one hand and still have room left for more. Not that I expected any more good deeds from Chip Dramapants, as Nico and Grady liked to call him.

I dressed quickly in a pair of old, worn jeans and a light blue t-shirt. Tawni would make fun of me for sure, but I'd quickly become immune to her comments. I was pretty sure she didn't mean it; she just needed to make herself feel better. When I was finished getting ready, I went down the hall to the kitchen and took a bite of the toast that was waiting for me on the counter. When I'd finished eating, my mom came in, keys in her hands. "Ready to go?" she asked. I nodded, taking a quick swig of water. She led the way out of our apartment and downstairs to the car.

We were halfway to the studio when I groaned. My mother looked at me, concerned, and asked, "Did you forget something?"

"Yes," I said. She practically slammed on the breaks and I added, "I forgot that I have class today."

"Oh." The car began to pick up speed again. When we arrived at the studio, I pulled my badge necklace over my head and jumped out of the car. "Bye, Mom!"

She waved goodbye and I hurried inside. As I was going down the hall, I crashed into someone going around the corner. "I am so sorry-" I started. I looked up to see Chad glaring at me.

"Could you watch where you're going, Sonny?" he asked. "You messed up my hair."

"Sorry," I said sarcastically. I reached up and ruffled his straw-colored blond hair. "There. All better." I flashed a smile.

"Sonny!" Chad complained, pulling a brush out of his pocket. "You made it worse."

I rolled my eyes. "Well it's been great talking to you, but I'm late."

"Late for what?" Chad asked.

"Rehearsal."

"You actual have to rehearse for those stupid skits you call 'funny'?"

"Leave me alone, Chad." I pushed passed him and walked down the hall to the Prop Room. The whole was there already, even Marshall.

"Morning, Sonny," Marshall said, twitchy as ever. "We have a lot of planning to do today."

"Planning?" I asked, sitting down on the couch beside Nico and Zora. Tawni stood behind us, obviously unwilling to wrinkle her skirt. Grady was getting a soda from the mini-fridge.

"Didn't Tawni tell you?" Marshall asked nervously, eying the blond behind me.

"Tell me what?"

"We're taking a vacation!" Zora exclaimed.

"A vacation?" I asked. "To where? For how long?"

"We're going to Florida," Marshall informed me. "For two weeks."

"That's amazing!"

"I've already cleared it with your mother," he continued, "And we leave in two days."

"What about the show?" I asked.

"We'll pick it up when we get back."

"Great!" I turned around to look at Tawni. "Thanks for telling me."

"Oops," she said, looking innocent. "Did I forget to tell you?"

"Yeah. You did."

"Come on now, don't fight," Marshall said. "Now it's time to go to class."

Zora jumped up. "Let's go," she said, eager about everything. Nico and I stood up as well, and Tawni and Grady followed us out of the room. Outside, Chad was leaning against the wall. "Did I hear someone say vacation?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, smiling. "_So Random!_ is going on vacation."

Chad laughed, "That is so funny. _Mackenzie Falls_ is going on vacation, too."

"Great," I said, walking away. He followed me. "Maybe we can get even farther away from you that usual."

Chad laughed again. "Sonny, Sonny, Sonny," he sighed. "You know that deep down, you just can't get enough of me."

It was my turn to laugh. "Yeah, right," I said.

"You know they say acceptance is the first step to recovery."

"I don't need to accept, and I don't need to recover, because I'm not in denial."

"Say whatever you want, Sonny. We both know the truth."

I snorted and turned into the studio classroom, leaving Chad standing in the hallway.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Chad's POV_

"Chad!" Portlyn snapped. "Pay attention!"

"What?" I asked, gripping the new week's _Mackenzie Falls_ script.

"You've been zoned out all day," Portlyn complained. "This scene is really important to me."

"Scene?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Show," Portlyn corrected herself, flushing. I knew why. Portlyn had a crush on me, and she had ever since she'd been introduced to the show. It didn't help that our characters had a relationship.

I sighed. "All right. Let's run the scene."

"Finally," Portlyn grumbled, still pink in the face. I could never tell if she knew that I didn't feel the same way she did. It seemed as if she had deluded herself into thinking that we had something going on. Because we didn't.

"Oh, Mackenzie," Portlyn breathed, her brown eyes wide as she began to tear up. I had to admit, she was a really good actress. "I'm afraid." She reached for my hand.

"Don't worry, Caitlin," I said. "It will all be alright."

"Promise?"

"Of course." I wanted to skip over this next part, but as the direction always said: Practice makes perfect. But Portlyn leaned towards me, all ready to kiss. Before she could reach me, there was a knock on the door. _Saved_, I thought. I stood up and hurried to open the door.

"Mail," Josh said, handing me a stack of letters and one to Portlyn. I dropped mine on the table. I would read them later, like always. Portlyn ripped open the first one, reading eagerly. Just like Portlyn. She lost confidence easily, which was why I didn't tell her straight out that I didn't return her feelings.

I sat down in one of the many chairs around the room and watched Portlyn. She was pretty, I admitted. Her heart-shaped face and flawless skin, framed by curly, reddish-brown hair. There was nothing wrong with her. And she was so completely in love with me. So why couldn't I love her back?

Maybe I could, in time, I mused. But now... I just felt my heart tugging me in a different, unknown direction. There was someone that I _did_ have feelings for. I just didn't know who she was yet.

After twenty minutes of watching Portlyn, I looked at my watch. "Let's go to lunch," I suggested.

"'Kay," Portlyn agreed, tearing her eyes away from a fan letter. She dropped it on the table. When we entered the hallway, we met up with Daniel, Emily, and Melany. We walked to the cafeteria together, and while they all to their seats at the _Mackenzie Falls_ table, I approached the counter where Sonny and Tawni were ordering their food. I pushed in front of Tawni. "We'll have the lasagna, Bella."

"Uh, Chad?" Sonny said. "There is no lasagna."

"Maybe not for you," I replied, smirking, while Bella filled a tray with plates of steaming lasagna. I thanked her and returned to the _Mackenzie Falls_ table. I was aware of Sonny and Tawni watching me jealously.

"That looks great," Emily said when I put the tray down. I passed it around and everyone took a plate. I sat down next to Portlyn in my usual spot, and looked across the cafeteria to see Sonny at a table with her cast, picking at a salad. She must have felt my gaze, because she turned around to glare at me. I smiled and waved. She turned away, but not before I could see her roll her eyes.

"What is your infatuation with that girl?" Daniel asked me in a disgusted voice.

"What girl?" I asked, turning away from Sonny.

"That Sonny girl," Emily supplied. "From _So Random!_"

"Sonny?" I laughed. "There is nothing going on between me and Sonny. I just like to annoy her."

"Why?" Portlyn challenged. Jealousy flashed in her brown eyes.

"Because it's what we do. They're _So Random!_ and we're _Mackenzie Falls_. It's called a competition," I explained as if they were little children.

"I don't see you irritating anyone but her," Portlyn said.

I bit my tongue, knowing that if I let the words slip out of my mouth, Portlyn would be hurt for weeks. I couldn't afford that, especially since we were going on vacation. I glanced at Sonny again. She obviously didn't know that _So Random! _and _Mackenzie Falls_ were going on vacation together. Vacation with the Randoms... This could be interesting.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Sonny's POV_

"Are you ready?" My mother asked. "Do you have everything?

"Yes, Mom." This was the third time she'd asked me. I slid my arms through the straps of my backpack and then picked up my suitcase. "Can we leave now? I'm going to be late for the flight."

"Right, sorry." She grabbed my other suitcase and her keys, and we hurried downstairs to the car. Once I was seated inside, I felt a little better. I looked at my watch. If my mother drove fast enough, we would make it to the airport in time. It was just like her; worrying over nothing and making me late. It happened all the time.

When we arrived at the airport, I rushed inside, my mother following at a slower pace. "Hurry!" I called over my shoulder. We had to wait in line for what felt like ages, but finally we were at the gate where my cast members were waiting for me. And, much to my dismay, the cast of _Mackenzie Falls_. Suddenly, this vacation looked a whole lot bleaker. I hugged my mother goodbye, telling her that I was too old to have her waiting with me. Besides, Marshall and everyone else was there. She nodded and left.

"Sonny!" Marshall cried. "You're here. Good."

"What are they doing here?" I asked, pointing to the _Mackenzie Falls_ cast.

"Well, Sonny," Marshall began, twisting his hands nervously, "This is a studio vacation. Which means we're vacationing with people from the studio..."

"But why them?" I asked. "Couldn't we have gone with the kids from _Lovely Letters_ or something?"

"Sorry, Sonny. This is who the studio picked for us to go on vacation with."

There was a beep, and the loud speaker came on. "Flight 548, now boarding."

"That's us. Let's go," I heard Chad say.

"Alright, come on kids," Marshall told us, herding us towards the plane entrance.

We moved as a group, and caught up with _Mackenzie Falls_. The woman at the door stopped us and asked for our tickets. We handed them to her and she began flipping through them. "Oh, dear," she said. "It seems there's been a problem."

"What? Problem? What problem?" Marshall asked nervously.

"It seems we've been overbooked," the attendent said, flashing us an apologetic smile. "Two of you will have to stay here and wait for the next flight to Florida."

We all looked around at one another, to see who would be left behind for a few hours. "I'll stay," Zora said, shrugging.

"No, no, you're too young," Marshall said. He looked around, obviously trying to decide who would stay behind until the next flight.

"I'll stay," I volunteered. It wouldn't kill me. I could wait. Besides, maybe Nico or Grady would keep me company. I was expecting Tawni to stay with me by choice.

"Great," the attendent smiled. She looked around. "And... How about you?"

"What? Me?" Chad spluttered.

"Him?"

"Perfect!" Marshall exclaimed. "All right, everyone else onto the plane."

"Wait!" I protested. "You can't leave me here with him."

"Sorry, Sonny," Marshall called over his shoulder. "See you in a few hours!"

My shoulders slumped and I turned my head to look at Chad. He looked about as happy as I was. "Great," he sneered. "Stuck with you."

"Like I'm any happier," I retorted. We grabbed our luggage and walked slowly over to the benches. We stared silently out the window, watching as the plane took off, taking our friends with it.

**A/N: Okay, I think that's about it for this chapter. :3 Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	2. Awkward Plane Ride

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read Chapter One. I hoped you all liked it!**

**Notice: I don't think they ever said what happened to Sonny's dad so that part of this chapter is COMPLETELY made up. Thanks.**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Two – Awkward Plane Ride**

_Chad's POV_

"Well this is just great," I complained two hours later. "I can't believe I'm stuck in an airport with you."

Sonny rolled her eyes. I noticed that they were brown, like Portlyn's, but a darker shade, like chocolate. Funny, I thought, Sonny was sweet like chocolate, too. When she wasn't mad at me. She was a little shorter than Portlyn, with wavy, dark brown hair. She caught me staring and raised an eyebrow. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Yeah," I replied, "_Funny_."

"Shut up, Chad," Sonny said, turning her back to me. She leaned against the chair and squirmed around some, trying to get comfortable.

"Finding a way to seat on these seats without hurting yourself is impossible," I informed her.

"Thanks," Sonny snapped. She stood up and walked away. I didn't bother to ask where she was going, but rather watched her retreating figure. She was wearing a dark red t-shirt and dark wash jeans, with a pair of black flats. I cursed the thought that crossed my head; Sonny was cute. _Stupid cute_, I thought. Annoyance flooded through me. I couldn't let her looks distract me. I had to focus on something else. I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair.

"What are you doing?" Sonny was back. Her voice wasn't quite as annoyed anymore, and it sounded more curious. I blinked my eyes and looked up at her. She held two waters and two bags in her hands.

"Thinking," I said. She tossed me a bottle of water and one of the bags. I looked at it. "Where did you get this?" I tore it open. It had been ages since I'd had a bag of _Ritz Bitz_.

"Vending machine," she said, plopping down next to me. "I got hungry. I figured you would be, too."

I looked at her. "Thanks," I said seriously.

Sonny looked surprised. "You're welcome." We ate in silence, and I was taking a sip of water, I heard a shriek. "_Look! It's Chad Dylan Cooper!_"

"Great," I heard Sonny mutter. She turned to me, a fake smile on her face. I could tell it was fake from the sound of her voice. "Have fun with your fans. I'll be over there if you need me."

"Sonny, wait-" But she was gone. I was surrounded by a group of girls, getting larger by the second. My natural celebrity instinct kicked in. "Ladies, calm down. There's enough Chad to go around." Getting mobbed by fans might not be on everyone's Fun List, but it was certainly on mine. I loved to hear how much they liked me.

"Can we have your autograph?" Two girls in the front squealed. They were my age. One had wispy blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was beautiful, and she had a sweet smile. Her friend had curly black hair and hazel brown eyes. She was just as pretty. They were easily the cutest girls in the airport. I quickly scribbled my name onto their paper while I thought about how to get them to hang out with me.

I came up with a good line, when I glanced over their heads to see Sonny sitting alone, staring out the window. The sun had disappeared behind huge rain clouds. Rain pounded against the glass, but I couldn't hear it through all the noise. Luckily, it didn't look like a thunder storm. We'd be stuck here even longer if that were the case. The sooner we got to Florida and I could get back to my friends, the better.

The girls were beginning to disperse as I handed out autographs; they had planes to catch. Soon there were only five left. The two pretty girls and three others, who weren't too bad looking either. I looked back at Sonny, checking on her every few minutes. She was now curled up in a ball on the chair, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She looked sad.

"This was fun, girls," I said, smiling, "But I have to go now."

"Aww," they said.

"See you." I winked, grabbed the bottles of water, and went over to Sonny. I sat down next to her, and she looked at me in surprise, and _I_ was surprised to see that her eyes were shiny, as if she were trying not to cry. I cocked my head to one side. "Hey, Sonny, what's the matter?"

"What do you care, Chad?" she asked. "It's none of your business."

"I care because despite all the fighting and teasing we do, I think maybe we're sort of friends."

"Friends?" Sonny asked sarcastically. "Yep, we're just the best of friends."

"All right, fine," I said. "We're not friends. But I still care. I'm not as mean as you think I am."

Sonny examined me for a moment, her brown eyes even darker. I recognized hurt and sadness in her eyes. I wondered what could have made her feel that way. She must have decided that I was serious, because she said, very quietly, "All right. I'll tell you."

"I'm listening," I said, shifting nearer to her so I could hear her better.

"When I was nine, my dad had to go on a business trip," Sonny said, her voice wavering some. She stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. Her voice was stronger after that, but flat. "He had to fly from Wisconsin to San Fransisco. It was raining and-" She broke off, staring straight ahead of her. Her eyes closed and for a few minutes, she didn't move. Then she took a deep breath and looked at me. "He never got there. They said on the news that there was a plane crash, and I knew what happened. Even before they told us Dad was missing."

I had no idea what to say. I stuttered out random words before saying, "Sonny, I'm sorry. And thanks for telling me."

She gave me a small smile. "It feels kind of nice to tell someone," she admitted. Her eyes were still kind of watery. I reached over and gave her an awkward one-armed hug. We both sat back almost immediately. "That was... weird. But thanks, Chad."

"No problem."

Two hours later, the airport's PA System beeped on and a woman's voice drifted out. "Flight 721 to Florida, now boarding." Sonny and I stood up, gathered our bags, and went over to where the attendant from earlier was waiting. We handed her our tickets and she ushered us inside. Sonny looked surprised when I sat down next her.

She opened the flap over her window and stared out onto the runway. It was still raining, and it looked like it was the middle of the night. The rain was really coming down. Sonny pulled the flap back down and looked at me instead, but kept her eyes lowered. I was impatient now that we were actually on the plane. According to my phone, it was almost 2. "Can we get a move on?" I called.

Sonny laughed. "Chad, it's a plane. Nothing you say is going to make it go faster."

"Chad Dylan Cooper would like to get to Florida!" People around me turned to stare, the began bustling around as fast as they could. I looked at Sonny, eyebrows raised. She rolled her eyes. I was beginning to think that this was her signature reaction. We were quiet for a while, until the plane was in the air. Sonny yawned, then glanced at me. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"So sleep now," I said. "It's not like we have anything better to do."

Sonny shrugged, and leaned against the wall of the plane, eyes closed. After a while, her breathing slowed and became rhythmic. I could tell she was asleep. Twenty minutes later, Sonny rolled over in her sleep, so she was facing me. I watched her curiously for a while. She looked different while she was sleeping. More innocent than usual. And still cute. _Stupid cute_, I thought again.

As I watched her, her head began to slip across the smooth faux-leather seat, until she rested on my shoulder. Shock surged through me. But for some reason, it didn't feel strange at all. So I let her stay there.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Sonny's POV_

I woke up, confused. I was leaning against Chad, and when I looked up at him, he was wide awake. I sat up quickly, brushing my hair out of my face. He wasn't paying attention to the fact that I was awake. He was calling one of the stewardesses over. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked. "We can't be in Florida yet."

"We're not," the stewardess said, looking apologetic. "The weather is getting worse. We have to land."

"So where are we?" Chad asked. I pressed myself against the wall. I was still feeling strange from knowing that I had slept on Chad. And that he'd let me.

"Gold Acres, Nevada," the stewardess said. She hurried away to sit down as the airplane tipped, signaling that we were descending. Finally, Chad seemed to notice that I was awake. "Oh, hey. You're up."

"Yeah." I nodded slowly. "So you don't mind being used as a pillow?"

Chad looked uncomfortable. "You looked really tired. I didn't want to wake you up by moving you."

"Since when do you care about me?"

He didn't answer. The plane hit the ground with a hard thump, and I was thrown back in my seat. Chad glared ahead. "This is the worst flight I have ever been on."

"You'll get use to it," I promised.

"Some how, I don't think so," Chad replied.

The plane stopped and the stewardesses stood up. They began directing us off the plane, promising that we would be able to get a plane out of there the next day. Chad and I exchanged looks. I knew I looked upset, and he looked irritated. "This is ridiculous. Why can't we just go to Florida?"

"And get struck by lightning on the way?" I asked. "No thanks." I stood up and grabbed my backpack, which was my carry-on and led Chad off the plane.

"Well now what are we suppose to do?"

"Find a hotel?" I suggested. "I don't know about you, but I-"

"Don't want to sleep in an airport?" Chad asked. "Neither do I." We went outside and stood under an overhang while waiting for a taxi, because neither of us had umbrellas. Finally, Chad managed to slow one down and we hurriedly slid into the leather seat in the back while the driver loaded our luggage into the trunk. I made a mental note to give him a big tip.

"Where to?" he asked, shaking water from himself as he slid in behind the steering wheel.

"The nearest hotel, please," I said.

"That seems to be where everyone wants to go today," the driver mumbled to himself. The ride was rather silent, and when we pulled up to the hotel, I handed the driver the money we owed him, plus an extra twenty. "Thanks."

"No problem." Chad and I grabbed our grabs and hurried inside. I wasn't a big fan of getting wet. Apparently, neither was Chad. We stood in line and when we got up to the counter, Chad said, "Two rooms, please."

"I'm sorry," the person at the counter said. "We only have one room left."

Chad and I looked at each other. After hesitating for a moment, I said, "That's fine. We can share." I didn't care what Chad said; I didn't want to go back out into the rain just to find a different hotel so we could have separate rooms. Chad could suffer for one night. But he didn't look like he objected too much. We were led to the room and given a key.

Chad opened the door and flicked the light open. I was pleased that there were two single beds, rather than one double bed. Sharing a room was one thing, but sharing a bed was completely different. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dropped onto one of the beds. "We should call Marshall and let him know what happened," I said.

"Have fun with that," Chad said, disappearing into the bathroom. Probably to fix his hair, I thought, rolling my eyes. I scrolled through my contacts and found Marshall. I pressed the call button and waited. A few seconds later, Marshall's nervous voice filled my ear.

"Sonny!" he exclaimed. "Where are you? We've been worried sick."

"The plane got delayed," I said. "The weather is too bad to fly, so we're stuck in Nevada right now."

"Nevada? Are you all right?"

"We're fine. We should be there tomorrow. Don't worry about us, Marshall," I said. "We'll be fine."

"All right, Sonny. See you tomorrow." The phone clicked off.

Later, when I was getting ready for bed, Chad knocked on the bathroom door. I stared at my reflection for a moment. Did I really want Chad to see me in my pajamas? But he would see me anyways. I was wearing a black racer-back tank top and red silk shorts. My hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and I held a tooth brush in one hand. "What?"

"I need to brush my teeth." He sounded a little irritated. I rinsed my brush and put it away. "Fine." I opened the bathroom door and stepped out of the way for him. He stared at me for a second, then entered the bathroom. I pulled the door shut and padded across the soft-carpeted floor to my bed, which I hurriedly climbed into and pulled the blankets over myself. I was tired, and the bed was warm and soft. My eyes drifted shut.

I was only half aware of Chad coming out of the bathroom and turning the light off. I could feel him beside my bed, watching me. My brain didn't register the odd act. Chad got into his own bed, and as I was about to really fall asleep, he said, "Good night, Sonny."

"Good night, Chad," I mumbled. And then I was asleep.

**A/N: So there is Chapter Two! I hope you liked it. I enjoyed writing it. Please review and tell me what you thought! I'll update as soon as I can.**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face **


	3. Relieving Boredom

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 2! I really appreciate it. Reviews make me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that looks familiar.**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Three – Relieving Boredom**

_Sonny's POV_

I woke up first in the morning. Chad was curled up beneath the fluffy hotel blankets. I was pleased to discover that he didn't snore. I crept over to the window and peeked outside, expecting sunshine. I was dismayed to see that it was still raining. Not as bad as yesterday, but bad enough.

I turned on the mini television and quickly found a news station. "Schools are closed today because it is too slippery on the roads for traffic," the announcer said. "All flights are postponed until further notice due to lightning warnings."

"We're stuck here for another day?" I jumped about a mile at the sound of Chad's voice. He'd woken up while I was listening to the news anchor. Once my heart was beating at a normal speed again, I said, "Looks like it." We sighed simultaneously.

"So what are we going to do all day?" Chad asked me. He reminded me of a child whose exciting plans had been canceled at the last moment. Which I guessed he sort of was.

I shrugged. "We could find something to do in town?"

"Like what?"

I went over to the beside table that separated the two beds and picked up one of the guides that were sitting on the surface. I shuffled through it quickly and said, "We could go to the... uh... Cheese factory?"

Chad raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe not," I said. "How about the history museum?"

"No thanks." Chad took the guide out of my hands and flipped through it. "Hey. How about an amusement park?"

"Chad Dylan Cooper wants to go to an amusement park?" I laughed.

"Sure, why not?"

"It doesn't seem like your 'scene'," I said.

"Would you rather stay here all day?" Chad asked.

I glanced around the room. There certainly wasn't anything to do here. "Not really," I said.

"Great," Chad said. "Let's go." He looked out the window. "You don't mind getting wet, do you?"

"I'd rather not, but I guess it's better than being stuck here all day."

"Well, come on." We dressed quickly, and Chad ushered me out the door and into the hallway. In the lobby, we had the man behind the counter call us a taxi. While we were waiting, Chad struck up a conversation with a teenage girl staying in the hotel. She had auburn colored hair that was cut to her shoulders and pretty grey eyes.

"Come on, Lover Boy," I said when the taxi pulled up, grabbing his arm to yank him away.

"Sonny, I'm in the middle of a conversation," Chad said.

"Fine." I dropped his arm and started walking out to the taxi "I'll just go alone."

"No, Sonny," Chad said, hurrying after me. The red-head stared after us. "I can't let you go alone."

"Why not?"

"Because what if something happens to you?" he asked.

I laughed. "Whatever. You don't care, remember?"

"I'll care if you get kidnapped or hurt yourself," Chad replied.

I didn't bother to say anything. For all I knew, Chad was just acting. As usual. Until he said, "Well, come on, let's go to that amusement park."

"You don't have to come," I mumbled. What had started off looking like a fun day with Chad(was that really possible?) had suddenly turned into me wishing I was with anyone but him.

"Yes, I do."

"Fine. Let's just get this over with."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine," Chad said. I thought I saw a smile cross his face as he opened the taxi door and got in. I got in behind him and pulled the door shut, shivering from the cold rain. Chad gave the taxi driver the name of the amusement park, and when we got there, I was surprised to see that we weren't the only ones looking for something to do on a rainy day. Obviously the people here didn't mind a little water.

Chad and I got out of the taxi and I stalked off to the park entrance, leaving Chad no choice but to follow me. I didn't understand what his issue was. If he didn't want to be there, he didn't have to come with me. I'd be fine alone. We were sixteen; I didn't need him or anyone else looking after me. He came up behind me as I was paying for our tickets in. I handed Chad his without and word and we entered.

The lines weren't very long. The park obviously wasn't as busy as usual. I looked around, trying to decide what to go on first. There were all sorts of rides. My favorite had always been roller coasters and I took a step in that direction. "You wanna go on the roller coaster?" Chad asked.

"You don't have to stay with me," I snapped at him. "I told you, I'll be fine."

"What if I want to stay with you?"

"Why?"

"Because believe it or not, Sonny, I'd kind of like to be friends," he said, running a hand through his wet blond hair. I couldn't believe he'd let it get ruined like that. Maybe he wasn't as much of a snob as I thought.

"Well maybe I don't want to be friends with you," I said, staring at the ground. I moved my shoe gently through a large rain puddle. I was already getting soaked and we'd only been there for about five minutes. The sky was a dark grey, covered with rain clouds. The rain pounded down, slicing through the air and shattering against the cement. If not for my heavy jacket, I know my arms would be sore from being pelted with heavy rain drops.

Chad sighed. "What is it? What did I do now?"

"You're just so obnoxious!" I cried.

"Then let me show you that I can be not obnoxious."

"Yes, because I'm so sure the amazing Chad Dylan Cooper, greatest actor of our generation, can just stop being obnoxious," I said sarcastically.

"So you admit it?"

"Admit what?" I asked.

"That I'm the greatest actor of our generation," Chad said. He smiled, and for once, it wasn't a smirk. This smile pulled up to his sky blue eyes. I wished the actual sky was that color at the moment.

"Not likely." I smiled back. "I was being sarcastic."

"You'll admit it some day," Chad promised.

"Keep dreaming, Cooper."

"So are we going to get on any rides, or what?" he asked. "Because otherwise we've been standing in the rain for no reason." He gestured to the darkening sky and pelting rain.

"Fine," I said. "I guess I can give you a chance."

"Great." He flashed me another smile. "Let's go on that roller coaster, shall we?"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Chad's POV_

Hours later, Sonny and I were dripping wet, tired, sore, and probably sick, too, but neither of us cared. Though I wasn't going to tell her any time soon, the afternoon with Sonny had definitely made my list of Fun Afternoons. It was pretty high up there, too. Higher, even, than the time that I'd met Vanessa Hudgens. Why? Because my time with Sonny had been real. I didn't have to pretend to be someone I wasn't and worry that she'd judge me.

Not that I worried about that anyways. But I could be more relaxed around Sonny. There was just something about her that made me want to let her see a different side of me. We stood on the sidewalk and I waved down a taxi. It was a lot easier to get around here than it was in Hollywood, that was for sure. Sonny sat in the corner of the taxi, huddled and shivering. I was sure she must have been hungry; I knew I was.

"We need to get something to eat," I said.

"What do you want?" she asked, her teeth chattering.

"First we should probably change. Then we can order something."

"Okay," she mumbled, hugging herself, trying to get warmed up. As soon as we were back at the hotel, we ran through the rain and all the way to our room, where we both changed quickly. Sonny used the hotel's blow dryer on her hair, trying to warm up faster, and then dived into her bed, shivering still underneath the blankets. "I'm going to be so sick tomorrow," she moaned.

"Maybe not," I said. I sat on my bed, phone book in one hand, telephone in the other. The television was turned on to some sitcom that neither of us were paying attention to. The volume was turned way down so I could concentrate on finding us food. I was flipping through the food section of the hotel's phone book when Sonny said my name. "Huh? What?"

"I was just wondering," she began, sitting up some. She wasn't as pale as she'd been an hour before when we'd been sitting in the taxi. Her cheeks were slightly pink, though I wasn't sure if it was because she was catching a cold or because she was embarrassed. "I admit, you are a nice guy. So why do you act like a total jerk all the time?"

I shrugged. "It's just how I am, I guess. It's how my friends expect me to act, and it's just natural for me to be like that around everyone."

"Except me," Sonny said. "Whenever we're alone, you're nice. But when anyone else is around, you go back to being egotistical. Why is that?"

I ignored her, punching a number into the phone. While I was waiting for someone to answer, I looked at her. "How do you feel about Chinese food?"

"Love it," she said, a smile crossing her face.

"Good," I said, "Because it's the only normal thing on this list." The phone clicked and a man's voice filled my ear, thanking me for calling and asking me what I wanted. I gave him our orders and he promised to have it to the hotel in half an hour or it was free. "We'll just see how long it takes," I said to myself, hanging up the phone.

"So are you planning on answering me?" she asked.

I thought for a moment. "Nah." I tossed her the remote. "Find something to watch."

She looked confused, but began flipping through the channels. I just wanted to get her mind off my behavior. Honestly, I didn't know the answer to it myself. What was it about Sonny that made me want to be nice? After twenty minutes of pondering this, I was interrupted by a knock on the door. Sonny looked comfortable, so I jumped off my bed and went to open the door. It was the Chinese guy.

"Hello," he said. "Are you Mr. Cooper?"

"Yeah," I said, handing him his money. I took the food from him and kicked the door shut behind as I went back to the main part of the room. I handed Sonny her carton and a pair of chopsticks and sat down with my own.

"You know, Chad, this is kind of nice," Sonny said.

"I know. I told you that you couldn't get enough of me."

Just like in the hallway four days earlier, she snorted. "In your dreams."

And that night, it was.

**A/N: Sorry for the kind of abrupt ending. I just thought it would be better to cut it off here, rather than try to add more and just end up ruining everything. So there is Chapter Three. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! Chapter Four is coming soon.**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	4. Foggy Day

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter! I really appreciate the reviews and support. I'm glad everyone likes it so much. I'm really enjoying writing it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't anything that looks familiar.**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Four – Foggy Day**

_Chad's POV_

When I woke up the next morning, Sonny's bed was empty. I heard water running in the bathroom. She must have been taking a shower. Then I remembered my dream. I'd had a dream about Sonny that night. I wasn't sure of the details, but I knew that it had involved me and Sonny and kissing. And what was more... It didn't freak me out the way it might have back home. It didn't feel strange. When I thought about it, my stomach flipped over, a feeling I'd never experienced before. I didn't have feelings for Sonny. Not that I was aware of. Sonny and I were hardly even friends. And there was no way I could have a crush on someone from a rival show. It just didn't work that way.

I threw back the covers and went around my bed to retrieve the remote from Sonny's neatly made bed. I picked it up and flicked on the television. It was already on the news channel. I wondered how long Sonny had been awake. "The rain storm is over," the announcer began, "But we now have a case of rolling fog. It doesn't seem to be going away any time soon, so for now, all flights are still postponed, until it is safe to fly again."

_Great,_ I thought, _stuck here for another day. This is turning out to be a great vacation. _It worried me a bit that I was being sarcastic with myself. I really needed someone to talk to, and for now, all I had was Sonny. I turned the TV off and fell back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. I listened as the water shut off in the bathroom and I could hear Sonny moving around in the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she emerged. I turned my head to look at her.

Sonny's brown hair, now almost black because it was wet, was pulled back into a thick braid that fell down her back. She had on light blue jeans and a green t-shirt. She gave me a half-smile when she saw me holding the remote. "We're still stuck here."

"I noticed," I said, lacing my hands together over my stomach.

"So what do you want to do today?" Sonny asked. "Because I'd rather not stay here and do nothing all day. Besides, it stopped raining."

"Then what are we still doing here?" I asked.

"Planes can't fly through the fog. If the pilot can't see, we might crash into something. And it's not safe," Sonny explained.

"I'd rather fly through fog that be stuck here still."

Sonny didn't answer. Instead, she twisted her hands around on her lap. I watched her for a moment, then stood up. "I'm going to go take a shower." She shrugged, and I grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. I turned the faucet in the shower and let the water run to warm it up. When it felt sufficiently hot, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower.

I felt better as soon as the hot water hit me. Taking a shower always helped me relieve stress. I wasn't exactly stressed out now, but I couldn't believe we were going to be in Nowhere Land for another day. This wasn't how my vacation was suppose to be going. I was suppose to be in Florida with the rest of the cast of _Mackenzie Falls_, hanging out at beaches and getting mobbed by fans. And what was worse was that was probably what they were doing right now. Without me.

I stood in the shower, letting the water run over me until I got tired of standing. I finally turned the water off and toweled dry, then changed into my clothes. I brushed my hair until it sat the way I wanted, and then I went back into the hotel room. Sonny sat cross-legged on her bed, a thick book in her lap. "You read?"

"Don't you?" she asked without looking up.

"Not really. I'm an actor. I don't need to read," I said, sitting down on my own bed.

"But it's fun."

I raised my eyebrows. "If you say so." I turned away from her to stare out the window. The fog was so thick that I couldn't even see the shrubs outside the window. "How are we suppose to get anywhere with so much fog?"

"Walk?" she suggested.

"Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't walk," I said. "He takes a car. Or a limo. Or even a golf cart. But he doesn't walk."

"Well he'd better learn," Sonny said. "Because otherwise we'll be here all day, doing absolutely nothing. How does that sound?"

"Boring," I admitted.

"So we'll just have to walk, won't we?"

"Fine." I stood up. "So where are we going?"

"I don't know. I didn't really have anything in mind," Sonny said. "I was thinking we could just kind of... explore?"

"Explore? There's nothing to explore. This tiny town in the middle of nowhere is probably one of the most boring places on Earth."

"I came from the middle of nowhere, thank you very much," Sonny snapped. "There's nothing wrong with small towns. You never know what you could find. Each town has it's own history, it's own magic. It's just waiting to be discovered. Unless your too stubborn and egotistical to try."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" I asked, only half-teasing.

Sonny shook her head. "You're hopeless."

"No I'm not," I said.

"Yes, you are."

"Not."

"Yes."

"Not."

"Yes."

"Not!"

"I rest my case," Sonny said, sitting up finally.

"Come on, Sonny," I said. "I'm just messing around with you."

"Well, stop. It's annoying." She glared at me.

"Which is exactly why I do it." I smiled back at her.

She rolled her eyes. Yes, definitely her signature reaction to me now. "So are you going to come with me? Because if not, I'll just go alone."

"Something will happen if you go by yourself," I warned her.

"I thought this town was too boring for anything to happen?" Sonny asked.

"I said it was small and boring. I never said it was safe."

"I'll be fine," Sonny insisted.

"I'm sure you will," I said, "But I want to come with."

"You didn't ten seconds ago," Sonny said.

"Did so," I said.

Sonny threw her hands into the air, looking exasperated. "Fine! Let's just go, okay?"

"If you don't want me to come..."

"Oh don't start that," she snapped.

We both grabbed jackets and left the hotel. It was dry outside, at least, but the fog wasn't exactly pleasant to walk through. Sonny took the lead, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jacket, looking down as she walked. We were quiet for a few minutes, until Sonny shrieked. I had to hold back a laugh when I looked at her. She'd tripped over something, and was now sprawled out on the sidewalk. "What happened?" I asked.

"I fell," she growled.

"I can see that. I mean how?" I grabbed her hand and lifted her off the ground.

"There's a dip or something here. I didn't see it."

"Are you okay?" I looked her over to make sure she hadn't broken anything.

"I'm fine," she assured me. Then she added, "You can let go of my hand now."

"Right. Sorry." I dropped her hand and brushed mine against my jeans. We started walking again, until we came to rows of shops. The first one that caught Sonny's eye was a book store. _Of course_, I thought. We went inside, and it was pleasantly warm and quiet. The shop was rather small and had bookshelves lined up against the walls and in the middle of the room. It smelled like pine, which I discovered was a nice smell. Sonny drifted towards the books and sat down almost immediately, burying her nose in the thickest book she could find. I stood by the door, looking around awkwardly.

A flash of movement caught my eye. I looked up to see a young girl approaching me. She was about our age, maybe older, with curly red hair and pale skin. She smiled at me as she crossed the distance between us, and I knew she had no idea who either Sonny or I were. That was a good thing, I supposed. "Welcome to our shop," she said. "Can I help you with anything?"

"No, thanks," I said. "I'm just waiting for her." I gestured to Sonny, who was oblivious to our conversation.

The girl looked at Sonny for a long moment, and then back at me. "You two have a strong bond," she said.

"What?"

"You really care about each other. You feel protective of her." She gave me a small smile.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I informed her. "And Sonny and I hate each other."

"Then why are you here with her?" The girl asked me, her smile widening.

"Because I don't exactly have a choice."

The girl shrugged, still smiling. "I see good things for you two." She turned and walked away, disappearing through a curtain of beads into another room. I watched as the beads swayed and clacked together, slowly coming to a stop in their original positions. "Sonny?" I called.

"Hmmm?" she asked, still buried in a book.

"Can we leave?"

"What?" she asked, looking up now. Her eyebrows were pulled down in confusion. "Why?"

"I just think we should see what else is around," I lied quickly. Truthfully, I just wanted to get away from that weird bookshop girl.

"Okay." She put the book back on the shelf and stood up. I left quickly, with Sonny following at my heels.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Sonny's POV_

I was confused by Chad's attitude towards the bookstore. "What happened?" I asked. I hadn't been paying attention to anything but all the lovely books I'd seen in front of me.

"The stupid bookstore girl was harrassing me," was all he would say.

"What bookstore girl?" I asked.

"You didn't see her?"

"No," I said slowly. "But I was reading. I didn't see anyone."

"Whatever," Chad said. We passed a cafe, and he stopped. "Let's go in. I'm hungry."

"So am I," I agreed. Chad pulled the door open, and the bell above it dinged. Everyone in the cafe turned to look as they walked in, but no one screamed. I was kind of relieved. The last thing I needed was to be seen on a 'date' with Chad. Because we weren't on a date. We were barely friends.

"They really have no idea who we are, do they?" Chad asked.

"Not a clue," I replied. "Thank goodness for that."

"Why?"

"You think I want us to end up on the front page of the newspapers and have everyone think we're dating? No thanks." We sat down at a little round table for two by the window. The fog made it impossible to see anything outside, but thankfully, it was warm in the cafe.

"Is there something wrong with dating me?" Chad asked.

"You are so _not_ my type," I said.

"Well then," Chad said, mocking hurt. "I guess I'm just not good enough for the great Sonny Munroe."

"Shut up, Chad," I said, laughing. A waiter came over and handed us menus.

"Can I get you two anything?" he asked.

"Hot Chocolate," I said immediately. Chad gave me a look, but didn't correct me. "And I'd like a burger, too, please."

"Fries?"

"Yes." I smiled. It'd been a long time since I'd had a normal buger; no one was here to stop me.

"Anything for you?" the waiter asked Chad.

"Sure," he said. "I'll have the same as her." He smiled at my shocked look as the waiter took our order back to the kitchen. "What?"

"I didn't expect you to want something so... Well, not gormet," I said.

"Which is exactly why I had to want it," he said, shrugging.

We fell silent and I looked around. The tables, almost all of them small and round and meant for two, were made out of a dark, gleaming wood with matching chairs. The chairs were hard backed and had forest green cushions attached to them. The walls were painted chocolate brown, making the whole room feel warm. It was nice, and it wasn't like anything you would see in Hollywood. It felt more like home.

"You like this place?" Chad guessed from my facial expression.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It kind of reminds me of home."

"What's so great about Wisconsin?" Chad asked me. He looked as if he were truly interested.

"I don't know." I felt a little uncomfortable talking about my home with Chad. "It's where I was born and raised, and where all my friends and family are. I miss them, I guess. I love being on _So Random!_ but I wish I could do it from home."

"You don't have any friends here?"

"I do, but I miss the ones I've had since I could talk." The waiter came back with our Hot Chocolate, and I took a long sip.

"What's your favorite color?" Chad asked suddenly.

"Red. Why?" I asked, confused.

"Just curious," he said.

"Fine. What's your favorite color?"

"Brown," he blurted. "Sorry, I meant blue. Favorite animal?"

"Dog."

"I would have guess cow," he teased. "Mine is turtle."

"Drink?"

"Root beer."

"Hot chocolate," I smiled, taking another drink of mine.

"Movie?"

"Barefoot in the Park."

"Anything I'm in," he joked. "Food?"

"Strawberries," I said.

"Chocolate. Show?"

"_So Random!_"

"_Mackenzie Falls_." We smiled at each other. It was obvious what our favorite shows would be. The waiter came then with our food, and I drowned a french fry in ketchup and dropped it into my mouth. "So what's with all the questions?"

"Just something to do," he shrugged.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but today has been fun, Chad."

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who left me reviews! I love you guys and I love the support. I hope you liked this chapter as well. Please review, and hopefully I'll have Chapter 5 up sometime tomorrow.  
Love,  
This Author Person-Face**


	5. Florida Finally

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who left me a review! You guys are awesome and I appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with a Chance. If I did, I don't think I'd been sitting here writing this, would I?**

**Warning: This chapter is cheesy. Please don't eat me. Chapter Six will be better.**

**Thanks to Jade who helped me out with this. Sort of. You rock. =)  
**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Five – Florida Finally**

_Sonny's POV_

Chad was awake before me in the morning. He was dressed and had the news on. When I sat up, he looked at me. "We're going to Florida!"

"Really?" I looked at the television, where they were broadcasting sunny skies. "Yes!" I jumped out of bed and danced around the room. When I was done, Chad was looking at me like I was crazy. Not that I cared. I grabbed clothes and went into the bathroom to change. I brushed my hair and pulled it up into a ponytail.

When I was finished, I returned to the main room to find that Chad was ready as well. "What time do we leave?" he asked.

I checked the replacement tickets we'd gotten after leaving the plane. "Not until two," I sighed.

"Which means we won't get there until tonight." Chad made a face and sat down on his bed. "Now what?" he asked.

"We could always go do something," I suggested.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. But we've been good at finding stuff to do so far," I pointed out.

"True," he agreed. "All right, so where to?"

"I'm not sure." I picked up the phone and called a taxi. "Maybe it can be a surprise."

When the yellow cab arrived, we got in and the driver asked, "Where to?"

"Someplace fun," I told him.

"That could be taken in many different ways," Chad whispered in my ear. "Someplace fun for _him_ might be a basement where he chops us both into a million pieces."

"You're so dramatic."

"That's why I'm on a drama," he smirked.

"I'm on a comedy," I said, "what does that make me?"

"_So Random!_ is not a comedy," Chad said.

"You're such a jerk."

"But you talk to me anyways."

"Because I have to." I was a little offended, even though I knew Chad had only been joking. He'd said this, in all seriousness, in the past, though.

"What does it matter what I think?" Chad asked suddenly. "A lot of people find you funny. Like the bee sketch you did on your first show."

"You watch our show?" I asked.

Chad gave a short laugh. "Oh, no. I have someone who watches it for me."

"Of course you do," I muttered. "Chad Dylan Cooper has everything he wants."

"Not everything," he corrected.

"Really? What could you possibly want that you don't have?" I demanded.

"That," he said, "is a secret."

"Why?"

"Because it's none of your business," Chad said. "Therefore making it a secret."

I rolled my eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"So are you."

We were quiet, which seemed to be happening a lot with Chad and I now. I stared out the window while we drove down a narrow, paved street, and then turned onto a dirt road. I glanced over at Chad, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. We continued down the dirt road, which I discovered was long, winding, and extremely dusty. Finally, the cab came to a halt.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking out the window, confused. It looked like we were in the middle of no where. There was a grass field that stretched out in front of us for what seemed to be miles. Yards of railed fences surrounded it. Off to one side was a tall red building.

"He brought us here to murder us," Chad whispered teasingly.

"Haha," I whispered back, feeling extremely sarcastic.

"This is Gold Acres best horse ranch," the taxi driver explained.

"Horse ranch?" I asked. The thought of something that could remind me of home sounded good to me. I shot a glance at Chad, unsure how he would feel about horses.

"Let's go," he said, surprising me immensely.

"What?" I asked, my mouth practically hanging open. "You want to go horse-back riding?"

"Sure," Chad said, "I did it a lot when I was younger. I was in a Western film."

I smiled. "I should have known." I handed the taxi driver his money and opened the door. I planted my feet on the dirt road, gravel crunching underneath my shoes, and I took a deep breath. It smelled like country. It made me a little homesick. Chad got out behind me.

"Wow. I haven't done this in years," he said.

"The last time I rode was the day before I came here from Wisconsin," I said.

Chad looked at me for a moment, examining my face. After a long moment of silence, he said, "Well, come on, let's go."

I led the way down the hill to the red building, which I now realized was a barn. Chad and I stood tentatively in the doorway. "Hello?" I called.

A head poked out from one of the stalls. A man who had brown hair streaked with grey and a bushy brown beard opened the stall door and stepped into the hall. "Hello!" he called, waving to us. He approached Chad and I, limping slightly. "How can I help you two?"

"We'd like to go horse-back riding?" I asked.

"Sure!" the man smiled. "Right this way." He led us half way down the hall and entered a room wedged between two stalls. He came back out with two helmets and handed them to me.

"Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't wear helmets," Chad started.

"Now he does," I said, jamming the helmet on his head to shut up him.

"Right, now for the horses." The man turned around and led us outside to a small corral where a few horses were already tacked up and ready to go. "The name's Jack," he informed us.

"I'm Sonny," I said, "And this obnoxious jerk is Chad, if you didn't catch that before."

Jack laughed. "Well, I'm here alone at the moment, and I need to get back to takin' care of Comet. Have you ridden before?"

"Until a few months ago, I use to ride all the time," I said.

"And you?" he asked, eying Chad.

"I rode a lot when I was younger."

"Right." He looked unconvinced, but said, "I'll help you get the horses and then just follow one of the trails. They all wrap around and come back, so don't worry about getting lost. As long as you stay on the marked trail, you'll be fine." He opened the gate and led us in to meet the horses.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Chad's POV_

The first horse we were showed was a pinto. He was a little small, and his coat was snowy white with splotches of light caramel brown. He had deep, knowing brown eyes and Jack told us he was a very sweet and calm horse. Sonny looked like she was in love. She ran a hand over the horse and whispered to him. It looked so natural, to see Sonny like that. It surprised me. Jack and I could tell that Sonny was taking this horse out to ride, no matter what either of us said. "His name is Socks," Jack said.

He then led me over to another horse. This was a jet black in the front half of it's body, with a few white spots around the bottoms of his legs. The back half was pure white, with a spatter of black dots across it's back. It's legs and tail were black, as was it's mane. "This here is Chrissy," Jack said, patting the horse's muzzle. "She can be a little wild sometimes, but I think you can handle her, if you really know what you're doing."

"Thanks," I said. He helped us lead Chrissy and Socks out onto the trail, where Sonny and I mounted. Jack waved goodbye and returned to the barn. Sonny looked right at home up in the saddle on Socks' back, and I didn't feel too uncomfortable myself. Sonny and Socks took the lead, and I followed behind on Chrissy. For a few minutes, it was too much to try to do anything but get use to the rocking of the saddle. As I got use to it, I urged Chrissy forward so I was riding side by side with Sonny.

"How's it going?" I asked jokingly.

"Oh, you know. The stocks have gone up. I'm thinking about adopting a lost kitten," Sonny replied, her tone nonchalant. I could see her hiding a smile.

"I'll be right back," I said suddenly, squeezing Chrissy with my legs. She broke into a trot, and then fell into a canter. It took me a moment to get use to, but I became comfortable very quickly. I took a deep breath and nudged the Appaloosa into a gallop. It felt amazing to be moving so fast, and I felt free. I pulled on the reigns and Chrissy slowed to a walk again. I turned her around and went back to Sonny.

"Wow," she said, "You really do know how to ride."

"Would Chad Dylan Cooper lie to you?" I asked her.

"Uh, yes," she said. "And you have before."

"Name one time."

"The time you tricked me into going to the Falls with you," she said.

"Right." I looked away.

"Wanna race?" Sonny asked me.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course," Sonny said. "Unless you're scared?"

"You're on," I said.

"Ready?" she asked. I nodded, waiting for her command. Suddenly, Socks shot off, and Sonny yelled over her shoulder, "Go!"

"Cheater!" I shouted after her, urging Chrissy forward. Chrissy, despite being a girl, was taller than Socks and therefore had longer legs. It took only seconds for us to catch up with Sonny and Socks. Sonny stuck her tongue out me and pressed Socks forward. We weren't the only ones who seemed to be having fun; Chrissy had an extra bounce to her step. I could tell that she didn't get to run like this very often. She also seemed to understand that I wanted her to run faster than Socks. She pushed herself in front of Socks and flicked her tail at his face. I laughed, as Socks snorted and then nipped at Chrissy. I had a feeling they were teasing each other.

Ahead of us, there was a river, and the trail bent around a group of trees. I was still ahead of Sonny, and I decided to stop at the river, to give Chrissy a chance to rest a little. I pulled her to a stop, and behind me, Sonny did as well. "Hah," I said, turning around in the saddle. "You cheated and I _still_ won."

Sonny rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. She pulled her helmet off and shook her hair out, then slid off Socks and led him over to the river. Chad did the same, clipping his helmet onto the saddle. Chrissy bent her head eagerly to take a long drink from the river. Her black tail swished back and forth, and when she was finished drinking, she stared at me with her big black eyes. She looked happy, and she nudged me gently. I felt like she was thanking me for letting her have some fun.

"Ready to get moving?" Sonny asked. Her face was brighter than I'd ever seen it, except the few times I'd spotted her during her show. She really liked being here.

"Yeah," I said, climbing back on to Chrissy. I led her away from the river and put my helmet back on. Sonny slipped gracefully onto Socks' back and took the lead again. She hadn't bothered to put her helmet on, and I had a gnawing feeling in my stomach. She seemed perfectly fine, though, and she urged Socks into a canter. I followed quickly. As I watched her, so at home out here with these horses, I suddenly realized something. Sonny wasn't just cute. She was beautiful. She was dressed in old tennis shoes, worn jeans, and a t-shirt. Her hair wasn't exactly perfect, from the helmet and the wind, but she looked amazing.

-------

We were sitting by our gate, waiting for the 'okay' to board the plane when Sonny caught me watching her. "What?" she asked, looking confused. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I'm not," I said immediately.

"Then what are you staring at?" she asked.

"The old lady sitting behind you."

Sonny turned around, then looked back at me. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that staring is rude?"

"Once in a while," I shrugged.

She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the speaker which announced, "Flight 721 to Florida, now boarding."

"Let's go," I said, standing quickly. Sonny grabbed her bag and followed me onto the plane. When we took our seats beside each other, it seemed normal. I sat by the window this time, and as I stared out onto the runway, I realized that I didn't want to go to Florida. I mean, I did. I wanted to get back to my cast members, and have the vacation I'd actually planned for. But once we got to Florida, Sonny and I wouldn't be able to hang out anymore. The rivalry between our shows would see to that. So I was a little sad to be leaving Nevada, middle of nowhere or not.

For almost an hour, after the plane took off, Sonny and I were quiet. We didn't talk; we didn't need to. I gazed out the window, watching the sun begin to set as we got closer to the East Coast. Sonny yawned and leaned her head against the seat, eyes closed. A flight attendant noticed her and brought over a pillow. Sonny thanked her and put it behind her head. Seconds later, she sat up. "I don't know how people can sleep like this," she said. "It's extremely uncomfortable."

I laughed. "Maybe if you're nice to me, I'll let you lean on me to sleep."

Sonny hesitated. "Do you mind?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Not really."

"Okay." She leaned the pillow against my arm and lay her head against it, all the while tentative. A few minutes later, she was asleep. I was tired, too. The horse-back riding had worn me out. As I watched the clouds pass my window, my eyes started to burn, so I closed them and leaned against my chair to think. Before I knew it, I was asleep as well. When I woke up, I realized it was because the flight attendant was nudging my arm.

"We're about to descend," she said. "Make sure your seat belts are fastened."

"Right." I sat up and realized that I'd been leaning against Sonny, my head resting on hers. I got the strange feeling in my stomach again, then one I'd felt after waking up from the dream of me and Sonny. Shaking it away, I woke Sonny up.

"Are we there?" I nodded and she sat up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. We waited until the plane had landed and stopped, and as soon as we were allowed to stand, Sonny and I jumped up and hurried off the plane, eager to see our friends.

"Sonny!" her friends called. She hurried over to them, hugging everyone. Even Tawni allowed herself to be hugged.

"Chad!" I stopped watching Sonny and waltzed over to my friends. Portlyn smiled at me, and I exchanged high-fives and fist-bumps with the other cast members.

"How was it?" Portlyn asked. "Must've been terrible stuck with Sonny for two days."

"Yeah, terrible," I lied, shooting a look at Sonny. She was surrounded now, laughing with her friends. I wondered if she was telling them that she'd had a good time with me?

"What did you do all day?" Emily asked.

"Whatever we could find in the middle of nowhere."

"Wait, you actually did stuff with her?" Portlyn asked. We followed the _So Random!_ cast and Marshall to get our bags.

"I didn't really have a choice," I reminded them.

When we'd gotten all our bags, Marshall led us outside to where a huge limo waited for us. It was the biggest I'd ever seen. It had to be, I supposed, to allow our entire group to fit inside. _Mackenzie Falls_ sat on one side of limo, and while _So Random!_ and Marshall took the other end. I wasn't paying attention to any of the stories that my friends were telling me. Instead I kept shooting glances at Sonny. Our friendship had come to an end, now that we were back with our friends. I felt a pang of regret. Then I decided. I was going to be friends with Sonny no matter what anyone thought. I was the star, after all.

**A/N: Right. Cheesy... So. Just let me know what you thought. Drop me a review! I really appreciate them.  
I'm going back to school tomorrow. My updates will be slower now. Maybe not. Depends on my homework load and if I get into the school play. We'll just have to see.  
Love,  
This Author Person-Face**


	6. Stupid Plans

**A/N: Wow. Thanks for the flood of reviews, guys. =) It was nice to come home from my first day back to school and find seven(plus the ones I'd already seen) reviews waiting for me. I love you guys!**

**To eromdaer451QI: This _is_ a Channy story. You just have to be patient. ^^**

**Please note: This was suppose to be Chapter Seven, but is now Chapter Six and Seven split into two parts. Yeah. Chapter Seven may be a little short, and I promise I will post it as soon as possible. Might not be until _late_ tonight, but it'll hopefully be before midnight (Pacific time).**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Six – Stupid Plans**

_Sonny's POV_

When I woke up in the morning, it took me a minute to remember why the hotel room looked different, and why Chad wasn't in the bed three feet away from me. When yesterday flooded back to me, I felt a little sad. It was weird to say, considering everything that had happened between us at the studio, but I had been enjoying my time me Chad.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I'd been left to share a room with Zora, because Tawni refused. She had claimed that she needed room for all of her makeup. I didn't care. I got out of bed quietly, so I wouldn't wake Zora, who was still sleeping. I entered the bathroom, clothes clutched in my hand. I changed quickly and left the room, sliding the door shut behind me.

Out in the hall, I turned to go towards the dining room that the hotel offered breakfast in. I had barely taken five steps when I almost knocked into Chad coming out of the room he was sharing with one of his cast members. Daniel, if I remembered correctly.

"Sorry, Sonny," he apologized.

"Chad is saying sorry?" I teased. "You hear something new every day."

"What are you going?" he asked, ignoring my taunts.

"Breakfast," I said, a little disappointed that he wouldn't tease me back.

"So am I."

"Do you want to eat with me?" I asked.

Chad hesitated, glancing at the door to his room behind him. "I gu-" he started, stopping when the door to the right opened and Portlyn and Emily stepped into the hall. Chad's expression quickly changed and he said, "Next time, watch where you're going." He turned and strode over to the girls. He slipped his hands around their waists, and they placed theirs around his shoulders, and they proceeded down the hall to the dining room.

I made a face and stared after Chad, feeling slightly hurt. He clearly didn't want his friends to know that we were friends. If we were friends at all anymore. Sighing, I leaned against the wall. I wanted to be his friend, I really did, but it now seemed as if I just wasn't good enough to be his friend. Not in front of the _Mackenzie Falls_ cast, at least. I was startled out of my thoughts when the door down the hall opened.

"Hey, Sonny!" Nico called, waving to me.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Grady asked, looking confused.

"Nope," I said. "Just hanging out."

"Oh," Nico said. "Well we're going to get breakfast. You wanna come?"

"Sure." I smiled, feeling better as I followed my friends down the hall to the dining room. Chad was sitting with Portlyn and Emily and he looked at me when I came in. I thought I saw a flash of something in his eyes, but I couldn't be sure. I glared at him and turned away, sliding into a seat at one of the large dining tables.

I was a little surprised when a waiter appeared to take our order, but then I remembered what a fancy hotel we were staying at. "I'd like pancakes, please."

"Fruit? Syrup? Whipped cream?" the waiter asked.

"Strawberries and whipped cream, but no syrup," I said, feeling a little flustered.

"Eggs? Hash browns? Sausage? Bacon?" he asked me.

"Just hash browns, please," I said. The waiter nodded and turned to Nico and Grady, for which I was grateful. I looked around and saw Tawni and Zora coming towards us. They took their seats and ordered. Then Tawni looked at me. "So how awful was it?"

"How awful was what?" I asked.

"Drinks?" the waiter asked.

"Being stuck in that tiny, boring, dirty, disgusting town with nothing to do and no one but Chad?"

"Lemonade, please," I said to the waiter, before turning back to Tawni. "There was a lot to do, actually," I informed her, explaining some of what we'd done. "But Chad..." I trailed off and turned to look at him. "It wasn't _horrible_," I offered.

Tawni shuddered. "I would hate to be stuck in a desert with Chad."

"Tawni, we weren't stuck in a desert."

"You might as well have been," she said. "I mean, population 2,000? Horse-back riding is their main attraction? Are they living in the _stone age_?"

I rolled my eyes. Now I remember why I hadn't missed Tawni in those two and a half days that I'd been in Nevada with Chad. "They didn't even know how to ride horses in the stone age," I replied.

"Whatever. It still sounds like a nightmare."

After a few minutes more of arguing, the waiter returned to our table with our food. He handed out the drinks, and then the plates. I inhaled deeply. I loved the smell of pancakes. Especially when they were covered with whipped cream and strawberries. On the side of plate was a pile of crisp, brown strips of hash brown. I took a quick bite to affirm my thoughts; it was delicious. I then began eating my pancakes. Everything was so wonderful. But somehow, not as good as what I'd eaten in Nevada. I couldn't decide why.

When we were all finish eating, I looked at my cast members. "So what are we doing today?" I asked.

"We're going to a museum about the _Titanic_," Nico said. "It's like a replica of the ship on the inside, and you get to explore the museum and pretend to be people that traveled on the ship."

"I thought _Titanic_ was a movie?" Tawni asked.

"The movie is based off of something that really happened," I said.

Tawni laughed. "That's ridiculous. Ice couldn't sink a ship."

Nico, Grady, Zora, and I exchanged glances. From their looks, I could tell it would be best to let Tawni stay ignorant. "Great!" I said. "So when are we going?"

"Whenever _they're_ ready," Grady said, jerking a thumb over his finger to Chad, Portlyn, and Emily, who had finally been joined by Daniel and Melany.

"They're coming?" I asked, dismayed.

Nico nodded. "Marshall is in charge of all of us, and he wants us to do stuff together. He thinks maybe we'll bond during the vacation and be nicer to each other when we get back to the studio."

"That's ridiculous," I said.

"Exactly," Zora said. "_Mackenzie Falls_ and _So Random!_ are always going to be enemies."

"It's only suppose to last an hour," Nico said, "So afterwards, we're going to _Aquatica_."

"What's that?"

"It's a water park and sea-life museum all mixed into one," Zora told me.

"That sounds exciting," I said. I couldn't help but look over at Chad and his friends. Honestly, it didn't seem like something that Mr. Snotty and Crew would enjoy. But hey, what did I care? _My _friends and I were going to have. That should have been all that mattered, right? But deep down, I felt bad. I could only imagine how annoyed and bored I would feel if _Mackenzie Falls_ was dragging us off to places that we didn't want to go.

Grady stood up, and the rest of us followed suit. "Let's go find Marshall," he said. "Then maybe we can get a move on." We followed him out of the dining room, and I gave a final look at Chad.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Chad's POV_

"Titanic?" I mumbled. "This is ridiculous." The woman at the door handed us all cards with names on them, dates of birth, and whether or not they had survived the sinking of the Titanic. I was to be known as Mr. George Harris for the next hour. At least I'd survived the sinking.

"Miss Elsie Doling?" Portlyn read from her card. "Never heard of her." She flipped the card over her shoulder and let it fall to the ground.

"Mrs. William A. Angle," I heard Sonny say loudly from the front of the group. "Hey, look, I lived!" She smiled.

"Hey, I'm Mr. William A. Angle," her friend Nico said. "Looks like I died."

"Aww, that's too bad," Sonny said, frowning.

We were interrupted by a rather big woman who approached us. She was dressed in an old fashioned dress and she wore pearls around her neck. She smiled at us, placing her hands on her wide hips. "Good morning," she greeted. "My name is Molly Brown, and I will be showing you around the _Titanic_ today. I'd like you all to get into character. It makes the tour a lot more fun."

"Wife?" Nico asked Sonny, holding out his arm.

"Husband," she said, laughing. She slid her arm through his, and Molly looked at them approvingly. She looked at Zora and Tawni. "Who are you two?"

"I'm Edwina Cecilia Troutt," Zora said, glancing down at her card.

"I'm Tawni. But this silly card says that my name is Marion Smith." She shrugged, smiling at Molly, who glanced at the rest of the _So Random!_ cast with raised eyebrows. They shook their heads, signaling not to bother with Tawni. I almost laughed, then thought better of it.

"All right, if everyone is ready?" Molly asked. She turned around and began to lead us through the museum. As I watched Sonny and Nico act like a couple, fake or not, I felt a kind of heat in my stomach. It took me several minutes to realize that I was jealous. It shouldn't have been a surprise. I already thought that Sonny was beautiful. Might as well just get it over with and admit to myself that I was in love with her.

Okay, maybe not in love with her. But I liked her. A lot. Not that I was going to tell anyone that. It was hard enough to say it to myself, let alone someone else. It was rather dark in the museum, with only the exhibits giving off light. It looked mysterious like that. Molly came to a halt beside a board of photos, and while everyone was focused on her, I reached out and grabbed Sonny's arm. She whipped her head around to see who it was. I pulled her gently away from the group, into a dark corner.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"So, Mrs. Angle, I hear you're a widow now. Care for a replacement? Because I'm single," I teased her.

"Go away, Chad," she said, shooting me a death glare.

"Whoa, what was that for?"

"For being a jerk."

"What did I do?"

"Blowing me off in front of your friends? Obviously I'm not good enough to be a public friend," she snarled.

"Sonny, you don't get it. I have to tell them first and they'll all freak out and..."

"So what?" she asked. "Why do you even care? If they're really your friends, they won't judge you for who you want to be friends with."

I hesitated, but never got the chance to say anything. "Whatever. I'm going back."

"Wait!" I whispered, grabbing her arm again. "I want to hang out with you, okay? I just don't want to tell them yet. Why is it such a big deal?"

"It just is." She yanked her arm out of my grip.

"Sonny!"

"What?"

"Come to the movies with me tonight," I murmured, unable to look into her eyes. I was afraid of doing something I might regret later.

"Movies?" she asked. "Chad, we're not dating."

"I know," I said immediately. "Friends go to the movies together, don't they?"

"Right," Sonny said, sounding embarrassed. "This is a stupid idea."

"So you don't want to?"

"Of course I want to," she snorted. "What time?"

"Seven," I said.

"Okay. I'll meet you in the lobby." Without another word, she returned to our group, going back to being Nico's "wife" for another hour.

For a minute, I just stared after her. Then, shaking my head to clear it, I followed her, coming up behind Portlyn. She glanced at me and gave me a small, rather shy smile. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me as I realized how much all of this was going to hurt her when she found out. Especially if Sonny and I ended up together... I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind and tried to focus on the museum tour.

**A/N: Chapter Seven will be up sometime tonight, I hope. You guys totally deserve two chapters tonight, for all the reviews I got. I love you guys!**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	7. Sneaking Out

**A/N: Okay, here is Chapter Seven, just like I promised! I hope you like it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed already... If you have. I think FF is having issues, because I haven't been getting an notifications from them in my e-mail, not even when I updated. So, yeah... **

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Seven – Sneaking Out**

_Chad's POV_

After eating dinner with my friends, they decided they wanted to go to the mall. Or, Emily, Melany, and Portlyn wanted to go the mall, and they wanted to drag Daniel and I along with them. I managed to get out of it by faking a stomach ache. Daniel and I retreated to the bedroom, where I collapsed onto the bed and Daniel was pulled away by Melany. As I watched the two of them go, I got the feeling that there was something going on between them. Not that I was one to talk, seeing as I would be sneaking out with Sonny in less than an hour, friends or not.

As soon as Daniel was gone, I jumped up and hurried into the bathroom to get ready. Sonny might not like me, but I certainly liked her. I felt different now that I was letting myself have feelings for her, rather than keeping it hidden away. I put on tight-fitting black t-shirt and a black jacket, with faded blue jeans. I brushed my hair and teeth, then something I only did when I really wanted to look impressive: Cologne.

When I was finished getting ready, I crept out into the hall, closing the door gently behind me. I didn't want any of Sonny's friends to see me and get suspicious. I went out into the lobby and sat down on one of the uncomfortable, overstuffed couches. I checked my phone, and was relieved to see that I only had to wait a few more minutes. But my wait was even shorter than I'd planned on. Sonny stepped into the lobby carefully, looking around. For me, I guessed. I didn't stand up right away. I stayed on the couch for a moment, taking in her appearance.

Her hair had been straightened, and it framed her lightly made-up face. It was almost impossible to tell that she was wearing makeup at all. But having been in the acting business almost my entire life, I could spot the difference now. She had on a red and black t-shirt with a white vest over it, and charcoal black skinny jeans. I hadn't thought she could look any better, but apparently I was wrong. I stood up and went over to her.

"Hey," she said, smiling. She was in a better mood than she had been hours before. "So what are we even going to see?"

After taking a moment to mentally remind myself that this wasn't a date, I said, "_All My Blankets_."

Sonny raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because," I said, leading her to the door where a limo was waiting for us outside, "It's the only thing that is going to be playing by the time we get there."

"What's it about?"

"I'm going to take a wild guess here, but I'm thinking it's about blankets," I said, opening the limo door for her.

"Thanks," she said, meeting my eyes briefly before getting in. "So do you know what else it's about?"

"Not a clue," I replied.

"I guess we'll just be surprised," Sonny said, leaning back against the leather seat of the limo. I sat as far away from her as possible, not wanting to slip up and do something that was not friend-oriented. This was new to me. I'd never liked a girl that didn't know that I liked her. Nor had I ever liked a girl who I wasn't sure was already totally and completely in love with me.

The ride was short, because I had picked a movie theater close to the hotel. One that wasn't in the mall, because I didn't want to risk running into Portlyn, Emily, Melany, and Daniel. When we arrived, I got out and Sonny stepped onto the sidewalk behind me. As I was closing the door, Sonny tripped and grabbed onto my arm to steady herself. "Sorry!" she said quickly, drawing her hand back. My arm burned like a brand where she'd touched me and I felt my face heat up. I was glad it was getting dark already. We went up to the ticket window and purchased our tickets.

Inside, Sonny got us popcorn and sodas, insisting in paying, since I hadn't let her buy a ticket. I shrugged it off, feeling more and more like I was messing up the whole "out-with-a-friend" thing. But Sonny didn't seem to think that I was being weird. We took seats in the back of the theater, and I got bored while waiting for the movie to start. I grabbed a handful of popcorn and whipped it across the seats, turning away immediately and looking innocent. The people in front of us turned to glare, but didn't look as if they suspected us. There were several other people sitting near us.

"Chad," Sonny whispered, sounding like she was trying to hold back laughter, "You really shouldn't do that. You're going to get kicked out."

"Like I care," I snorted. "I don't even want to see this stupid movie."

"Then why are we here?" she asked.

"So we can hang out."

"Where your friends won't see us," she added bitterly, speaking the words I was keeping to myself.

"You don't get it," I told her.

"Then explain it to me," she said.

"I can't," I sighed.

"Exactly." Sonny stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Away."

"Sonny! Wait," I called, getting up quickly and following her down the stairs. The people in the theater all shushed us, but I ignored them.

"Look," she said, turning on me in the theater's lobby. "Obviously you're embarrassed to be my friend. So I'm gone. Don't let me get in your way."

"Sonny," I said, grabbing her arm. "I want to be your friend. I really do."

"So why does this have to be some big secret?" she demanded.

"My friends are already mean enough to you. Do you really want to have to spend time with them because they know that we're friends?"

"I can handle it," she insisted.

"Fine," I said. "I'll tell them we've been hanging out, okay?"

"Promise?" she asked suspiciously.

"I promise," I said. "Now let's go do something. I don't feel like going back to the hotel yet."

"We could just walk?" she suggested.

"Sure."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Sonny's POV_

Chad and I ended up talking a long walk through a darkening park near the movie theater. The path was lined with old-fashioned street lamps. I thought it looked beautiful. We talked a lot during that time, and I learned more about Chad than I ever thought I would. For instance, he had wanted to be an actor since the first time he saw a kid on TV, he hated broccoli, and he had an older sister, a half-sister, that he'd only met once in his life. He told me that she was married, had two children, and was an orthodontist.

"Why don't you talk to her?" I asked.

"She doesn't talk to me," Chad said, shrugging.

"I thought families were suppose to be nice to each other?"

"You're an only child. You don't understand the sibling concept. We all hate each other," he said nonchalantly.

"Well that sounds lovely," I said sarcastically. "So how is she your sister?"

"She's from my dad's first wife. His wife died a few years after my sister was born, and then he got remarried when Haley was my age. She hated my mom, so she went to live with her grandparents."

"Wow," I said. I'd never realized how complicated a family could be. All my friends back home had big, happy families, and it was rare for someone to be divorced. One of the spouses dying was a whole different story.

"So why don't you have any siblings?" Chad asked.

"My mom got pregnant once, I remember. I was four or five. But she lost it, and I think she was too afraid of losing another one to try again. And then my dad died... and now all she has is me," I said. "But honestly, I don't mind being an only child."

We were quiet for a while after that, having run out of things to talk about. But it was a comfortable silence. I surprised myself by not feeling the least bit awkward or self conscience when Chad looked at me and said, "Have you ever been kissed?"

"What?" I asked, taken by surprise by the question. "I don't really know. There was this time when I was a kid, but..."

"What's the matter?" Chad teased, "The boys in Wisconsin aren't good enough for you?"

"As a matter of fact, no," I said. "When I realized that I wanted to act, no one but my mom believed that I could really do it. I mean, sure, my friends acted supportive, but I could tell they didn't think it was ever going to happen. Everyone thought I was weird. No boys were ever interested in me. And I wasn't interested in them."

"And it doesn't bother you that you're sixteen and haven't been kissed?"

"Not really. It's not that big a deal. I mean, people make it seem like it's a huge thing. It doesn't seem that great."

"Wow, you really haven't ever been kissed," Chad said, giving me a look.

"Isn't that what I just said?"

When I got tired of walking, Chad called the limo and we went back to the hotel. I eyed him expectantly and he gave in, promising to take me to his friends right then and admit that he had been hanging out with me. I leaned against the wall while he opened the door to his room and went in. I stepped into the doorway behind him. "Oh my God. What are you doing?" Chad said. I peered over his shoulder to see two of his cast members tangled together on the bed, their lips locked together. When they heard Chad, they jumped apart.

It was Daniel, Chad's roommate, and one of the girls. I was pretty sure her name was Melany. Daniel opened his mouth, but obviously couldn't think of anything to say, because he closed it without a word. Melany simply glared at Chad. Then she spotted me. "I could as you the same thing."

"What?" he asked.

"What are you doing with _her_?" She pointed to me.

"You're dating Sonny?" Daniel asked.

"No, I'm not dating her! Don't be stupid. Sonny and I are just friends."

I decided it would be best to stay out of it and keep my mouth shut.

"Have you been with her all this time?" Melany demanded. "You ditched us to hang out with the enemy?"

"I didn't ditch you," Chad protested.

"You lied to us," Melany corrected. I took a step back, into the hallway. Melany followed me. Chad stepped between us.

"Leave her alone, Melany," Chad said.

"I'm not going to do anything," Melany said, rolling her eyes.

"What is everyone yelling about?" I turned my head to see Nico, Grady, and Tawni standing in the hallway. They took in me and the _Mackenzie Falls_ cast, and waited for an answer.

"These two have been dating behind our backs," Melany said, pointing at me and Chad.

"Dating?!" Tawni asked.

"I'm not dating him!" I cried. "We're just friends."

"Maybe you should go," Chad murmured to me. I stared at him, unable to believe that he was going to let them boss us around.

"Fine," I snapped. I turned on my heel and went into my hotel room, slamming the door shut behind me. Moments later, there was a knock. I ignored it, but Zora bounced over to the door and opened it. Nico, Grady, and Tawni burst in.

"You're dating him?"

"I'm going to say this one last time," I said. "I'm. Not. Dating. Him."

"So why did you sneak out with him?"

"We were just hanging out."

"Where did you go?" Grady asked.

"We were walking in the park. It's not that big a deal. All we did was talk," I said.

"Sonny, if you want to remain a part of _So Random! _you are never allowed to talk to Chad Dylan Cooper again," Tawni said.

"This is ridiculous! There is nothing going on."

"Well this will keep it that way," Tawni said. "Stay away from him or stay away from us. It's that simple."

"Tawni..."

She smiled at me. "You made the right choice. No more Chad Dylan Cooper."

**A/N: Hmmm... I'm not sure what I think of this chapter. The next few should be better. Anywho, just let me know!**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	8. Go Away

**A/N: I don't really have much to say... So, on with Chapter Eight!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonny With a Chance. Thank you. (: (I wonder what they would do if I said I owned it? xD)**

**ImComplicatedButSimple – I agree with you for the most part. I feel like I should try rewriting it, but I really don't know what I would change... So it'll stay like that for now. These next chapters should be a lot better.**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Eight – Go Away**

_Sonny's POV_

The next morning, I sat alone at breakfast, staring into my cereal. I spun my spoon slowly around the bowl, rather than eating. Truthfully, I wasn't hungry. I was too busy trying to sort out the swirling emotions in my head. I was frustrated and annoyed with my cast members, and I was also annoyed with Chad. I was upset that he would side with his friends, and sad that he wouldn't stand up to them. I felt ridiculous that I was so hurt by his actions, because obviously we weren't meant to be friends.

I looked up when someone dropped into the seat across from me. It was Tawni, in all her blond beautiful glory. "Good morning, Sonny!" she said cheerfully.

"Tawni." I looked back down at my cereal. It had long since turned soggy and unworthy of eating.

"Sonny, when are you going to realize that staying away from Chad is what's best for you?" Tawni asked.

"You don't know anything about what's best for me," I snapped, throwing my spoon down. "None of you even care about whether or not it makes me happy. As long as _you're_ satisfied."

"Look, Sonny," Tawni said, her face hardening, "I admit that I can be selfish. But don't you care at all about we feel? We've always been enemies with _Mackenzie Falls_ and now you're breaking everything we've built up."

"Why is it such a bad thing to be nice to _Mackenzie Falls_?" I asked.

"Because this is just the way it's been!" Tawni said. "We don't want that to change."

"You're impossible," I said, standing up. "I care about all of you, but I'm not going to let you stop me from being friends with _anyone_. Not even Chad Dylan Cooper."

xxxxxxxxx

I spent the morning in my room, curled up on my bed. I hugged a pillow to my chest and flipped through the channels on the television, finally stopping on a movie about a rat who could cook. For a few hours, I could forget about everything. My time in Nevada, my time so far in Florida. Everything since our vacation had been announced. But when it was over, it was only noon. Sighing, I dropped the pillow onto my bed and got up.

Zora, Nico, Grady, and Tawni had gone to a big shopping center near the hotel, each wanting to get their share of shopping done before Marshall started sending us off to the big activities. I knew that we would be visiting Disney World near the end of our trip, and I was looking forward to it. I had been to Disney Land once, but that was all. I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to decide what to do.

I figured I could go swimming at the hotel's pool. It might be kind of fun, actually. I put on a bathing suit, a dark red tankini, and then slid into a tank top and shorts. I grabbed a towel, flip flops, and my room key, and stepped out into the hall way. I was surprised and a tad annoyed to find Chad leaning against the wall by my door.

"Hey, Chad," I said.

"Sonny," he said. He looked hesitant. "Can we talk?"

"Okay." I waited.

"Somewhere not public?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and slid my room key into the lock. I threw the door open and gestured him in, following. I sat down on a stool by the mini kitchen, but Chad stayed by the door. "Well?" I asked.

"I've been thinking," he said, "And I think maybe you're right. We're not meant to be friends. It just won't work. There's too much in the way, you know?"

"Like your stupid friends?" I asked, picking a hair-tie up off the counter. I slid it over my wrist and gathered my hair into a ponytail, wrapping the elastic band around it.

Chad ignored my comment. "I think it would be better if we stayed away from each other. If we went back to the way things were at the studio."

"You mean back to you being a total jerk and me hating your guts?" I asked. "Chad, I like being your friend. Why does this have to be so complicated?"

"It's just the way it is, Sonny." Chad looked down at the ground, then back at me. "Just leave me alone from now on, okay?" He didn't bother to wait for me to say anything. He yanked my door open and left. I stared after him for a moment, then jumped off the stool and followed him into the hallway.

"Look, Chad, if I did something-"

"Stop," Chad said. His back was to me, and he wouldn't face me. "Just go away, Sonny."

It felt a little like a slap across the face. I suddenly felt angry and indignant, pushing away the hurt. "You want me to go away? Fine." I reached in the door to my room to grab my towel and room key, then slammed the door shut and shoved past Chad on my way to the hotel's pool. As much as I wanted to look over my shoulder and see his face, I restrained. I made it around the corner before I felt tears burning in my eyes. I hurriedly wiped them away. I wasn't about to cry over that jerk.

When I got to the pool, I was greeted by the happy screams of little kids. They pool was swarming with them. I didn't mind though. I had always loved playing with young children. I couldn't wait to have my own, though I knew that was a good six or seven years away. I dropped my towel onto a chair and kicked off my shoes, then pulled my tank-top over my head. The shorts I decided to leave on. I walked over to the edge of the pool and sat down, lowering my feet into the water. I was almost immediately surrounded by kids.

"Who are you?" they asked.

"How old are you?"

"Where are you from?"

"Will you play with us?"

I laughed, almost forgetting my fight with Chad. "My name is Sonny, I'm sixteen, I'm from Hollywood, and of course I'll play with you!"

"Hollywood?" one of the older children asked. Her blue-grey eyes were wide. "Are you a movie star?"

"Not quite," I said. It wasn't a lie. I had never been in a movie. But I wasn't about to tell them that I was a TV star. I was suppose to be here on vacation, not to do more meet-and-greets. Not that I minded those. They were a lot of fun, actually, meeting all my fans. But today I was just a regular person. "So what are we playing?"

"All you do is take these," the older girl said, handing me ten brightly colored rings, "and throw them in for us to dive for."

"All right," I said. I tossed them in quickly, one by one, and waited for the kids to retrieve them and bring them back for me to throw again. I noticed that one of the younger girls, who looked to be about five or six, was one of the best swimmers there. She was always the first to bring back a ring, and they were often rings from the far side of the pool.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Maria," she said shyly. Her hazel eyes glowed with the pleasure of being singled out by me.

"Do you like to swim, Maria?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "I'd stay here all day if Mama and Daddy would let me," she said ruefully.  
"I think you should ask your parents if you can join a swim team," I told her.

"Team?" she asked. "Like, competing?"

"Yes, exactly."

"That would be fun," she said. "I think I will ask."

I stayed at the pool for most of the rest of the day, tossing the rings and getting to know the kids there. I surprised myself at how interesting I found them. Even though they spent most of their time telling me about completely useless and irrelevant things, I enjoyed the chatter. I felt appreciated, and the kids seemed to really like me. I felt wanted.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Chad's POV_

I felt terrible about upsetting Sonny, but I knew I had to do it. It was what was best for everyone. Not just me, or her, but my cast members and hers as well. I realized now that things needed to remain the same. If we knocked too much out of balance, everything would come toppling down, and I just couldn't handle that. I sighed and leaned against the wall. I had been standing here for who knows how long. Sonny had stalked off on me ages ago. But I couldn't stop staring after her.

Finally I decided to go do something. I wasn't about to go back to my room. Not with Daniel and Melany in there, their lips locked together for hours on end. It was disgusting to watch. But I couldn't help but wonder if Sonny and I might have ended up like that. Then I shook my head. I wasn't suppose to be thinking about Sonny. I was suppose to concentrate on something else, anything else.

When I got tired of leaning against the wall, I decided to go find Portlyn and Emily. Obviously, this wasn't going to make me forget. I needed a distraction, until I could convince myself to go back to hating Sonny. I'd already managed to get Sonny to hate me, at the very least.

I knocked on Portlyn and Emily's door and found them lounging in front of the television, watching some stupid reality show. "Hey, Chad," Portlyn said, glancing up from the television. "What's up?"

"I don't feel like hanging around the hotel all day," I said. "Let's go do something."

"Really?" Portlyn asked hopefully.

"Yeah."

"Where do you want to go?" Emily asked lazily from the bed.

"Anywhere," I said.

Emily and Portlyn exchanged glances. "Anywhere?"

"I get the feeling I'm going to regret saying that," I said. "All right, where do you want to go?"

"There's a fair or something going on," Emily started.

"And we really want to go," Portlyn finished.

"Fair?" The nodded. "Why?"

"We've never been to one," Emily said. "We want to see what it's like."

"Fine with me." I said. "Let's go."

"Really? Thank you, Chad!" Portlyn cried. She and Emily jumped up from their beds and hugged me. "Call the limo."

I dialed the number on my phone and instructed the driver to meet us at the front of the hotel. I waited while Portlyn and Emily got ready and then we went out to meet the limo . Emily gave the directions to the fair grounds. When we got there, Portlyn and Emily hopped out, while I followed more slowly. The fair grounds were swarming with with all sorts of people. Many of them clutched greasy foods in their hands.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" I asked.

"Of course." Portlyn and Emily linked arms, and Portlyn grabbed my wrist. "Come on, let's go."

Portlyn and Emily led me to the entrance, where we bought our tickets and entered the park. There was another booth, selling tickets for rides, which Portlyn and Emily veered towards immediately. "Why are we doing this?"

"We want to experience the average American life," Emily said.

"We're not average," I reminded them. "Anything but."

"Exactly," Portlyn said. "At home, we couldn't do something like this."

"Come on, Chad," Emily added. "Loosen up. Have some fun."

"Fun?" I asked disbelievingly. "Here?"

"Don't be a downer," Emily said, suddenly reminding me of a hippie.

I rolled my eyes and waited while they bought ride tickets. I was surprised when Portlyn handed a roll to me. "You don't think we're going to let you sit out, do you?"

"I was kind of hoping," I admitted, cracking a smile.

"Come on, downer," Emily said. She and Portlyn dragged me around the fair for the rest of the day, jumping onto whatever ride caught their fancy. Some of them weren't so bad, like the roller coasters or the zero gravity, but others were boring for me. When the sun started to set, I suggested we go out to dinner and then return to the hotel. They agreed.

We took the limo to a small restaurant and had dinner there. I was proud that I had managed to avoid Sonny in my thoughts for most of the day, but when Portlyn and Emily got talking about clothes and makeup, all the girly stuff, I allowed my mind to wander. And it led me straight back to the brunette I was trying to lock away. It annoyed me the way Sonny had me wrapped around her finger and she didn't know it. I knew that I would do whatever she wanted me to, as long as I got her in return.

When we were finished eating, we returned to the hotel. I left Emily and Portlyn and at their room and then entered mine. I was pleased to find that Daniel and Melany had made themselves scarce. I sat down on the chair in the corner and closed my eyes. Of course I was overwhelmed by thoughts of Sonny. It was to be expected, of course. What wasn't expected was a knock on the door and her voice calling my name, tentative.

I stood up quickly, and my head began to pound because of the sudden movement. I closed my eyes for a moment, then went to open the door. She looked nervous. "Chad? I need to talk to you."

"About what?" I asked.

"About earlier." She wouldn't look at me, and her face was pink. I knew she was embarrassed.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said.

"Why not?"

"Because there's nothing to talk about. Just stay away from me, okay?"

Her eyes brightened with what I knew to be tears. She kept her voice steady as she said, "Whatever you want, Mr. Cooper." She whirled around on her heel and stomped away. I had never felt worse in my life.

**A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. I know, it's lame. Ten should be better. I hope... It's my favorite. Not that I've written it yet, but I have a plan. :)**

**Yes. I was watching Ratatouille when I was writing the first part of this chapter.**

"**We're not average," I reminded them – This line is for all you MLIAers out there. Stay average. :D**

**Please leave a review! I love everyone who reads this. I love you even more if you review. Please and thank you. **

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	9. Meeting New People

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, and to any of you who reviewed the new one-shot that I posted. I appreciate every single review I get. :)**

**I am SO sorry it has taken me so long to update. I don't know what's gotten into me. Please forgive me, lovlie peoples.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonny With a Chance**

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Nine – Meeting New People**

_Chad's POV_

I woke up the next morning with a killer headache. Daniel was still asleep, and I didn't feel like getting up. I rolled over and pulled the covers over myself tighter. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but the headache made it impossible. And on top of that, now that I was awake, I could remember the night before. Sonny's hurt expression. I'd even dreamed about her, though I was use to it now. If it were possible, my headache started to get worse. I felt terrible about upsetting Sonny like that.

I wasn't use to feeling this way about someone. Before this trip, everything I did was centered around me. It didn't matter how other people felt, as long as I was happy. What had changed that? What about Sonny made me want to be a good person? I knew that this change was probably for the better. After all, no one liked a stuck up snob. But if being a good person meant being confused all of the time, then I wasn't sure if I liked it.

After a while, I couldn't stand the pounding in my head anymore. I threw back the covers and stood up, stumbling into the bathroom, where I picked up a small bottle that held pain killers. I took two and then went back into the main room. I flinched when Daniel gave a loud snore. The best thing to do would probably be to leave the room. I grabbed a change of clothes and dressed quickly, grabbed a room key, and stepped out into the hallway. I sighed in relief at the peaceful quiet that enveloped the hall.

I leaned against the wall and slid down onto the floor, holding my head in my hands. I don't know how long I sat there, but my headache began to ebb away. When I was feeling better, I stood up tentatively and went down the hall to the dining room. When I turned in the doorway, I nearly crashed into someone. Of course, that someone happened to be Sonny. "Watch where you're going," I snapped. I had to keep up the act. She needed to stay away from me. It was what was best for her.

"Maybe _you_ should," she snapped back.

I rolled my eyes. "Go back to your silly little friends, Munroe. You're in my way."

"Whatever." She stalked away from me, gripping a cup of orange juice in her hand. I could see her knuckles turn white, and I was suddenly fearful that she would break the glass. But what did I care? It was just a stupid glass. And she was just another girl who I would get over. I went over to a table and sat down, alone, because everyone else was still asleep. Sonny was alone as well.

When the waiter came over to take my order, I fumbled through the menu and just picked the first thing I saw. French Toast and sausage links. I'd never been a huge fan of French Toast, but I'd have to eat it now. I then ordered a coffee, which I almost never drank because it was suppose to stain your teeth. Couldn't be a famous TV star with stained teeth, now could I?

When he returned to my table with the coffee, he also gave me a tray. The tray held little saucers of milk, cream, sugar, and all sorts of other flavoring. I poured the milk, cream, and sugar in, and then hesitated over which flavor. Finally, I grabbed to packages of chocolate flavoring and dumped those in as well. I stirred it all up and took a sip. It was better than I had expected it to be.

It didn't take long for my food to be sent to my table, and I took a hungry bite. The restaurant really had something going, because it was the best French Toast I'd ever had. Almost good enough to make me like it. The sausages were good as well. I had stabbed my fork into the French Toast to take another bite when I saw a figure sit down across from me. I looked up and sighed. Sonny.

"Chad?" She seemed ready to cry, and for that I felt bad.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to know... Why are you doing this? Please tell me the truth."

"Because this just isn't going to work out, Munroe. It never should have happened. Being friends with you was a big mistake, okay? So just go away and leave me alone. And stay away this time." It hurt me almost as much to say as it did for her to hear. She didn't respond to my harsh words, but instead stood up with a blank look on her face and she walked away. I felt terrible as I watched her leave. But I had to put on a smirk when I saw Portlyn and Emily enter.

"Good morning!" Portlyn said cheerily. She slid into the seat across from me, and Emily sat down beside her.

"What's up with Sonny?" Emily asked. "Did you see her face?"

"No idea," I said. "Haven't talked to her."

"Good," Portlyn said. "Can you imagine what would happen to your reputation if anyone found out that you were friends with her? She's not even a real actress. _Comedy_." She snorted. Portlyn reminded me of how I had felt for the first few weeks after meeting Sonny. Before her charm had begun to do something to me. _Stupid cute!_

"So what are we doing today?" Emily asked. "We should get Daniel and Melany to come with, at least. They've been keeping to themselves too much."

I shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

Portlyn pulled a pamphlet from out of her purse. She began to flip through it and stopped on one page. It had a picture of a killer whale, two dolphins, and a sea otter. Across the top were the words 'Sea World!' She showed it to me and Emily. "Let's go here!"

"Sea World?"

Portlyn nodded. "It's like an amusement park. You get to watch dolphins and whales do tricks and there's games and stuff. It sounds like fun. Let's go! Please?"

"Sounds good to me," Emily said with a smile.

It was then that I realized that while my co-stars were stuck up about some things, such as Sonny, they were completely down to earth about going to silly places like a local fair or a live animal museum, which is what Sea World sounded like to me. "All right."

"Great!" Emily and Portlyn jumped up. "Let's go get Daniel and Melany."

The hurried off, but I stayed seated. Now that they were gone, I could see the hurt in Sonny's eyes again. And it made me hurt, too. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Sonny's POV_

I wandered out of the hotel, not really sure where I wanted to go. I kept my head down, staring at my feet. The people on the streets ignored me, which is what I wanted. Although it was still rather early in the morning, the sun was already high in the sky. The heat rays beat down on me, and I stuffed my hands in the pockets of the jacket I was wearing. It was hot, and I was beginning to sweat, but I didn't care. I kept my jacket on.

I turned corners, followed crowds, and wandered through whatever shop seemed to be most crowded. I felt like a ghost, and probably looked a little like one, too. I wasn't too surprised when my feet hit sand. I could hear shrieks of laughter and cheering, and the sound of the waves crashing down onto the water. The smell of salt and the cry of the seagulls also alerted me. The beach. I wandered down towards the water and sat down where I knew I would stay dry.

I wrapped my arms around my legs and pulled them tight against my chest. I rested my chin on my knees and stared out into the water. It was a bright blue color, with the sunlight dancing playfully on the surface. Waves crashed down over happy, laughing children. About fifty yards down the shore, where the waves were bigger, there was a group of surfers. Farther out, a group of seagulls dived at the water, fishing for some food. Other seagulls wandered around on the beach, searching for stray scraps of food.

Couples walked past me, holding hands and smiling at one another. It was depressing to watch. Parents chased their children into the water or built sand castles together, and suddenly I missed my own mother and father. And when I saw little girls running around together, holding hands and splashing water at each other, I remembered the loneliness I had felt, being an only child.

After I sat on the beach for a while, the heat of the sun and sand warming me, I finally stripped off my jacket. I felt awkward, wearing only a tank top and shorts, but then I realized that I was probably one of the most clothed people there. I stood up, leaving my jacket where it was in the sand. I didn't care anymore. I wanted to walk. I approached the water and stood in the wet sat, waiting for the cool blue waves to wash over my feet.

It was surprisingly warm. I smiled and wiggled my toes under the water. It felt nice. I began walking down the shore of the beach, just close enough to the water for it to lap over my feet before withdrawing back to the ocean. I stared out to the horizon, watching as the water swelled into a wave and then came crashing back down, becoming calm again. Then the cycle would begin again. Frustration, anger, and then calmness. It seemed to me that the ocean had emotions as well.

I came back to reality when I crashed into a person. "Sorry!" I squeaked. I turned to face the person I'd knocked into, and found a boy about my age staring back at me. He had shaggy, chocolate brown hair and grey eyes that reminded me a bit of a storm cloud. He was tanned and had a hint of muscularity. I expected him to be a jerk. His personality didn't match my assumption. He gave me a wide grin and said, "No problem."

"Hey!" someone called. "Throw it here already!"

The boy glanced over his shoulder and threw a group of other boys a football. He turned back to me, and said, "You seemed pretty distracted there."

I nodded. "Yeah."

He looked at me, his head cocked slightly to one side. "Hey, are you okay? I know you don't even know me, but you look lost or..."

I was lost. But not in the sense he meant. I was lost in my emotions. I was hurt and confused and upset and I didn't know what to do. And the thought that had taken over my mind was why was Chad able to hurt me so much? I didn't have an answer to that. Instead, I looked back at the boy and shook my head. "I'm not lost. Just kind of wandering."

He nodded, like he completely understood. "So what's your name?"

"Sonny."

"I'm Michael." He flashed me another smile. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah," I said. And I didn't bother to bring my cell phone and none of my cast members knew where I was. Yep, I was going to be in trouble when I got back. But at the moment, I didn't really care.

"Do you want to hang out with us?" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the group of boys that were now wrestling over the football. I hesitated, and he noticed. "You don't have to play football."

I thought about it for a long moment. I didn't really have anything better to do, and Michael seemed nice. I glanced over my shoulder, though I wasn't sure what I was looking for. "Okay."

**A/N: I'm sorry this is short. It sucks, I know. I've got some writer's block. Anywho, happy MLKJ Day everyone! Please review and let me know what you think. I'll try to post again as soon as I can.**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	10. Confusing Feelings

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in about two weeks... I haven't really been sure of how to write what I had planned. I'll probably be slow at updating for a while. I hope this extra-long chapter will make up for my lack of updates, and I will try to update again soon. **

**Can't Get Enough of That Drama**

**Chapter Ten – Confusing Feelings**

_Sonny's POV_

"So," Michael said, as we walked down the beach together. "Do you live around here?"

I shook my head. "I'm from LA," I said.

"California?" he asked, looking excited.

"Yeah."

"Is it nice there?"

I shrugged. "I guess. I mean, it's no Wisconsin, but I get to do what I love there."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.

"Well, I was born and raised in Wisconsin. It's beautiful there, so calm and peaceful. But California is pretty, too. It's just really busy and all anyone ever seems to think about it is what they can get. But I'm not complaining, because I get to work in LA, doing the thing I love most," I explained.

"And what's that?"

"Acting."

"You act?"

"Sure," I said. "I'm on a show called _So Random!_"

"That's great," Michael said. "I've never seen it, but I've heard of it..." He trailed off and looked down at the sand, then back at me. "So you're famous?"

I let out a laugh, despite myself. I couldn't help but feel a little better with Michael being so cheery. "A bit, I suppose." I looked out to the water, and then down at the wet sand. "Hey, look!" I bent down and picked up a shiny amber brown shell.

Michael shrugged. "We get a ton of those."

"Really? It's so pretty." I held it up to the sunlight to examine it. It was covered in sand, so I bent down again and held it under the water to wash the sand off. When it was all gone, I slipped it into my pocket.

Michael was looking over his shoulder to his friends, who had continued on with their football game without him. He then turned to me. "Do you want to go for a walk? I could show you around..."

"Sure," I said, pleased. "That would be nice."

Michael smiled. "Great. Come on, this way." He turned around and began to climb the sloping beach to the street. He stopped by a great pile of clothes and bags and grabbed a t-shirt and shoes and slipped them on. He then set off towards the street, and I followed him. When we reached the sidewalk, he turned right. "There are a lot of neat shops over here. Everyone comes to the beach, so these places usually get a lot of business. It's pretty smart."

He led the way down the sidewalk, pointing out all the shops as we went past, explaining to me what was in each of them. A few caught my eye, like the shop that specialized in sea glass jewelry. Michael grinned when I stopped to look in the window, and asked, "Do you want to go inside?"

"Yeah," I said. I pushed the door open and was immediately drawn over to the glass counter that held about a hundred pieces of sea glass jewelry. One piece in particular caught my eye and I examined it. It was a green flower made from four pieces of sea glass twined together. A thin strip of black leather connected at either end of the flower and hooked in the back with a silver clasp. "Wow."

"You like it?" he asked.

"It's so pretty." I scanned the counter some more, taking in all the different necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and other pieces.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone quite this interested in our jewelry," an elderly man from behind the counter said, smiling. His grey eyes twinkled behind his glasses. "We do get women all the time, fawning over one piece or another, but none quite like you."

I blushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Oh, no, don't apologize, dear," he said, his smile widening. "I enjoy your enthusiasm. My family and I work very hard on these pieces."

"You made these yourselves?" I gaped.

The old man nodded. "My wife and children, and myself. It's been a family hobby since I was a child. I decided to turn it into a business when I was old enough, and now I have this little shop here."

"It's wonderful," I said honestly.

"Well thank you, dear." He reached under the counter and pulled out the green flower necklace, then held it out to me. "Here. I want you to have this."

"Oh, no, I couldn't-" I began, but he cut me off.

"It's not every day someone offers you free jewelry," he reminded me, still smiling. I had to agree so I took the necklace from him.

"Thank you," I said, "very much."

"No, thank you. You've brightened my day considerably."

After that, we continued the tour of the neighborhood around the beach. We turned to a narrower street, where smaller shops were located. Michael halted in front of one, a beach ware shop. "I live here," he said. "My parents own the shop, and we live above it."

"Really?" I asked. "That sounds really cool."

"Thanks," he said, pushing his bangs out of his face. "Do you want to come inside?"

"Sure," I said, smiling. I had nothing better to do. We entered the shop and I began to wander through the store, examining whatever happened to catch my interested. Michael stood by the door, watching me nervously. I didn't really understand why he seemed so worried about what I thought. I shrugged it off and turned to face him.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"It's nice," I said with a smile.

"Great." He looked relieved. Then hesitant. "Would you like to stay for lunch?"

"That sounds nice."

"Cool. My mom is making her famous Clam Chowder," Michael informed me. "You don't mind, do you?"

"I've never had Clam Chowder before," I admitted. "It's a type of soup, right?"

He nodded. "You'll love it. My mom makes the best Clam Chowder on this side of town." He paused, then added, "She was a professional cook for a long time. Until my brother and I came along. She's a bit old."

I shrugged, then asked, "So you have a brother?"

"Yeah. His name is Joshua. He's a year older than me."

"Does he live here with you?"

Michael nodded again. "You'll probably meet him when we're eating." He glanced at the ceiling, and then over to the stairs in the far corner of the store. "Come on, let's go." He led the way across the store and up the stairs, into a cozy looking apartment. Sounds drifted out of a doorway to the left, and I could tell there was someone cooking in there, along with the sounds of the television. "I'm home!" Michael called through the doorway.

A older woman with rust-colored hair streaked with grey poked her head out. She smiled at Michael, then turned her grey eyes, the exact same as Michael's, on me. Her smile widened, and she stepped out into the hallway. She wore a mint green t-shirt, jeans, white sneakers, and an apron around her waist. "Who is this?" she asked.

"This is my friend Sonny. Is it okay if she stays for lunch?" Michael asked.

"Of course," his mother said, continuing to smile kindly at me. I smiled back, feeling a little nervous. Michael gave me a tour around their apartment, and we sat talking in the living room until lunch was ready. We sat down and ate, and I met his brother along with his father, and I began to feel comfortable. This was definitely turning out to be one of the better days of my vacation.

x.x.x.x

Later, when the sun was beginning to set, Michael walked me back to the hotel. He hesitated outside the door, and I said, "Do you want to come meet my friends?"

"Sure," he said, a smile crossing his face again. I led him inside and down the hall to my room. I slid the key into the lock and opened the door. Tawni was sitting on my bed, facing Zora, who was sprawled out on her own bed. Sitting in chairs behind Zora were Nico and Grady. They all looked up when I came in.

"Where have you been?" Tawni cried, jumping up. "We were worried about you!"

"You were worried about me, Tawni?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

Tawni stumbled for words. "I mean, they missed you," she said lamely, pointing to Zora, Nico, and Grady.

"So where have you been?" Nico asked.

"I went to the beach. I met a friend there. He showed me around the neighborhood and then I had lunch with him." I glanced over my shoulder. Michael was still standing in the doorway, where no one could see him. I motioned for him to come in, and he did so tentatively. "This is Michael," I announced.

Everyone stared at each other for what felt like an excruciatingly long time. Finally, Tawni smiled and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Michael." Her blue eyes sparkled. I knew what she was thinking, and I sighed on the inside. All Tawni cared about was looks. Although I had to admit, Michael was a pretty nice person. However, I hadn't known him for long, so I couldn't exactly judge.

"Nice to meet you, too," Michael said.

"This is Tawni," I said. "That's Zora, and those two are Nico and Grady."

"Hey," Nico said.

"What's up?" Grady asked.

"Do you like snakes?" Zora asked.

Michael laughed nervously and we glanced at each other. He looked back at the others, and then down at his feet. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Sonny. I think I should go now."

"Wait," I said, dashing over to the bedside table. I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and scribbled down my number, then held it out to him. "Maybe we can hang out again tomorrow."

"That'd be great," Michael said, smiling more genuinely now. "I'll call you in the morning?"

"Sounds good."

"Bye, Sonny."

"Bye!"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Chad's POV_

After spending the day at Sea World with the girls and Daniel, I was more tired that I could ever remember being, even after a long day of filming. Walking around a giant park was hard work. We got back to the hotel around three o'clock, and still had plenty of time before dinner. Melany and Daniel disappeared, and Emily decided to go to the hotel's spa to relax after our long day. That left me with Portlyn. We lounged on couches in the lobby, trying to decide what to do with our time.

"We could go swimming?" Portlyn suggested dully, as bored and tired as I was.

I shook my head. "I'm too tired to swim. My legs are aching, anyways."

"Mine too," she admitted. "What else is there to do?"

I shrugged. She began to think again. Portlyn let out a sigh and checked her watch. "I'm hungry. Are you?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding. It wasn't exactly late enough for dinner, but my exhaustion was making me hungry as well.

"Great." Portlyn stood up. "Let's go get something to eat."

"Where?" I asked.

"There's a cafe down the street," she said. "I wanted to try it out. What do you think?"

I groaned. "More walking?"

Portlyn flashed me a smile. "Not if you don't want to," she said. "Call the limo."

"Right," I said. I whipped out my phone and dialed the number quickly. When the driver answered, I told him to meet us in front of the hotel, then stood up. Portlyn had run off to her room to retrieve her purse, and I felt in my pocket to make sure my wallet was still there; It was. When she returned, we went outside to the limo, which took us down the street to the cafe that Portlyn had mentioned.

When we arrived, Portlyn and I climbed out of the limo, and I told the driver we would call when we were ready to be picked up. Portlyn grabbed my wrist and led the way into the cafe. When we entered I suddenly remember, with a rather guilty pang, the cafe that I had spent the day in with Sonny, while we were stuck in Nevada. Portlyn dragged me over to a small, square table and we sat down.

We both picked up menus and scanned through them. I ordered more food that usual, feeling ravenous as the smells from the kitchen drifted over to our table. When the waiter came over, we placed our orders, and he came back quickly with our drinks. Portlyn sipped her raspberry ice tea across the table from me, peeking at me from underneath her eyelashes. I sighed inwardly. This crush was getting to be a little too much.

Portlyn and I chatted while we were waiting for our food, but silence fell over us when our dinners arrived. The two of us were too hungry to do much talking. When we were finished eating, however, I leaned back in my chair and sighed, feeling warm and a little less exhausted. Portlyn took a last drink from her ice tea and shot her hand into the air to wave down the waiter. He gave us the check, we paid, and left.

"That was good," Portlyn said, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

I nodded in agreement and pulled out my phone. "I'll call the driver."

"Let's just walk," Portlyn urged. "It's just down the street. Besides, I feel better now that I've eaten."

"I do, too," I admitted. "All right, let's walk."

We left the cafe and stepped out onto the crowed sidewalk outside. The sun was beginning to set as Portlyn and I started walking down the street towards our hotel. It was a quiet affair, as it was too loud on the streets to do much talking, and we were both beginning to get tired again. When we reached the hotel, I started to open the door to the lobby, but Portlyn stopped me. She grabbed my arm and pulled back.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I want to talk to you about something," Portlyn said, biting her lip nervously.

"Okay. What is it?"

"I just wanted to tell you, Chad, that I really like you. And I have, since I joined the cast." Portlyn look down at the ground, her face turning red with embarrassment. She brushed a lock of hair out of her face, and then she turned her brown gaze back on me.

"Yeah," I said, "I sort of already knew."

"You did?" she asked. "How?"

"You're not very good at keeping secrets," I teased.

Portlyn scowled. "It's not funny, Chad."

"Right," I said. "Sorry."

There was a moment of silence, and then Portlyn spoke again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you like me, Chad?"

"Portlyn, I-"

But I never got to finish my sentence, because suddenly Portlyn's lips were on mine, and she had wrapped her arms around me. For a moment, I was shocked. I had never known Portlyn to be quite so bold. But then, I supposed, she was already used to kissing me. We had to kiss all the time. Of course, none of them had ever meant anything, until now.

And what was more... Suddenly, I didn't mind. A rush of confusing thoughts and feelings flooded my mind, but I pushed them away. I cleared my mind and focused on kissing Portlyn.

**A/N: Whew. That took a while to write. But I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think and leave me a review. I will love you forever if you do. Let me know that you haven't abandoned me in my absence! **

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


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